


One Week

by scribblescrabblestories



Category: Monster of the Week (Tabletop RPG), Original Work
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Fade to Black, Friends to Lovers, Irish Folklore, M/M, Magic, Modern world, Road Trips, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblescrabblestories/pseuds/scribblescrabblestories
Summary: Face off against evil or admit you have feelings for your friend? Geoff would pick the fight. Geoff MacCallum is still trying to navigate this new world of magic and the supernatural, he doesn't need to lose more sleep over anything else. But then there's Nialls, the attractive, bold, and flirty dullahan. He ran away from his supernatural responsibilities in Ireland and came to the United States to escape. Somehow, through either a cruel or divine twist of fate, Geoff and Nialls met and they can't stop meeting. With only one week left before Nialls leaves forever, will Geoff and Nialls figure out the feelings between them?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note!
> 
> So this is based off a MOTW campaign that I ran for a small group of friends. It's set in the "real world" with the supernatural co-existing right alongside it. Geoff (a magic-user) and Nialls (the Dullahan (Irish fae)) met during one of the campaign arcs. Nialls, being a natural flirt, saw Geoff, a good soul, as an easy target to flirt with but little did the characters know that those feelings could be a "real" thing. This story is a continuation after the game finished. For reference, this is after the dark being known as "The Man On the Other Side" was defeated by all of the player characters joining forces, including Geoff and Nialls. Victorious, all the player characters and some NPCs are gathered in a hotel bar in the crossroads town of Destination, New Mexico. Hopefully, this little recap will give you a sense of everything!
> 
> Geoff and Nialls are NOT my characters! My friends gave me permission to use them and we collaborated on this story together! Everything else is a creation of mine. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Day One: 11:33 a.m.

Geoff never had smelled a cheeseburger as good as the one in front of him. Wrapped in classic checkered wax paper, dripping with grease, and stacked with lettuce and grilled onions, was dinner. His stomach growled. Just as he was about to take a bite, a shadow fell across his table.

“This seat taken?” a gravelly voice asked.

Geoff looked over and craned his neck up. In head to toe black clothes, complete with a long black duster, stood Reaper. He slid into the wooden booth across from Geoff. The bartender, who had been watching the man, hurried over and Reaper placed an order of the same to go. Reaper’s jacket creaked as he leaned back. He took off his sunglasses, revealing dark brown eyes. Eyes that watched Geoff’s every move.

  
Placing his burger back on the plate, Geoff asked, “What can I do for you Reaper?”

One greying eyebrow raised. Most of Reaper’s hair was still a dark brown, almost black. It was just starting to turn grey at the sides. He didn’t answer Geoff. After another moment of intense staring, Geoff tried again. “It’s about membership to the Big Five, right?”

“It’s a good place for you to be, Geoff,” Reaper said. “You’d have connections. Strong connections. Resources at your disposal. People at your beck and call. And protection.”  
“Protection?” Geoff asked.  
Reaper twisted one of the many thick rings around his dark fingers. “With your recent adventures, you’re going to be the target of some very big enemies now.”  
Geoff chuckled but quickly turned it into a cough. “I think I can handle myself. I mean, we did just defeat The Man On--”  
“Quiet,” Reaper said, his eyes narrowing. “It’s a delicate thing to seal something as powerful as That One. You can’t just throw its name around like you would Satan’s.”  
“I didn’t know.”  
“Exactly my point. There are things you don’t yet know and you will never know unless you join us.”  
“This kind of sounds like a cult,” Goeff laughed, a touch of nerves showing.

Reaper was like an alligator, he barely blinked. Every move the man made was certainly calculated. How the man was surviving in the heat of New Mexico, in all black and with no air conditioning, was beyond reason to Geoff. If it wasn’t for the magic breezes Geoff produced every now and then, he would be sweating through his hoodie.

  
“Cults are one of my specialties. This is not one of them. This is a bond, a group, forged through circumstances beyond all of our controls. And you won’t find delusional men at the top begging women to fuck him under the guise of a deity's orders. All of that is bullshit but this is all reality,” Reaper continued to stare hard at Geoff. “I hope you are taking this seriously, Geoff. None of this is a joke. Especially not our offer.”

  
“No, no,” Geoff said, “I definitely am. It’s just, you know, a pretty big thing to ask someone. I mean, what exactly would I be doing? As a member of the Big Five?”

Reaper folded his hands together. He looked down at the burger in front of Geoff. Motioning at it, he said, “You can eat. I can talk.”  
Starving, Geoff didn’t wait any longer. The first bite was heavenly. The second bite was even better and he didn’t try stuffing a third in his mouth. Geoff reminded himself to chew before swallowing. Reaper talked while Geoff continued to eat his meal.

  
“Your duties would be to become an expert on all things magic. You would train yourself and you’d train others when you felt ready. Any issues that smell of magic, you’d be dispatched there. All the magic sources in this country, you’d be in charge of keeping that controlled. It’s a lot of research, a lot of management, and a lot of pressure.” Reaper paused. Then he offered a hand out to Geoff. “But you’d have us helping you along the way.”

  
Geoff put the remains of his burger down. Wiping his hands off on a napkin, Geoff weighed his options. He didn’t really have a plan after this ‘boss’ fight other than roam around the country in his truck. Days Landing, while homey and quaint, was too mundane now that he had seen the underbellies of the world. A destination would be nice to have. A landing spot more or less. Geoff hesitated before shaking Reaper’s hand.

  
“This isn’t a yes, this is I’m still thinking.”  
Reaper frowned but nodded, dropping Geoff’s hand. At that moment the barkeep came over with a brown sack, its bottom already showing grease stains. Reaper handed over exact change and took his food. He stood, once again towering over Geoff. He pulled out a scrap of paper from deep in his pockets. With the same hand, Reaper scrawled a number on it.

  
“When you’re ready, call this number. There’s no expiration date on this offer. But the sooner the better.”  
“How do you all get paid?” Geoff asked Reaper, as he turned to leave.  
At this, Reaper grinned a pearly smile. “We all have day jobs.”

  
Geoff watched him walk towards the cluster of other members at another table. The woman with hair the color of the ocean scooted down the bench but Reaper waved it off. They were out of earshot but Geoff noticed Reaper jerking a finger in his direction. Blushing, Geoff looked down at the table. A feeling of emptiness washed over him. His town friends from Days Landing had left right from the Four Corners showdown--something about Guerrero not getting paid for his time away. Josie and her sister had disappeared or possibly were never there in the first place. Sam, Brenden, Finley, and her dad, Owen, had left Destination, New Mexico that morning. There had been loud talks about hitting up Roswell as a detour before going east. And the person who he had considered a close friend, maybe even a sister, went back to heaven.

  
Then there was Nialls. The dumb dullahan that made Geoff’s heart race and his mouth dry. It couldn’t be Nialls’ swagger that did it for him. It most certainly was not the leather jacket. The motorcycle horse creature really didn’t do it for him either. And those piercings the guy had? Not hot at all. Sure, the guy kissed him once. It’s not like Geoff ever thought about that or dreamed about it or wanted it to happen again. It was all of those things that made Geoff feel the way he did. But if the dullahan ever wanted to take it further than flirting obnoxiously, Geoff had no clue.  
Motorcycle rumbling interrupted Geoff’s inner turmoil. He looked out the window to his left and saw two motorcycles approaching in the distance, hurtling towards the tiny speck of a town, Destination. Geoff was instantly transported back to an earlier time in Louisiana, where multiple motorcycles could only mean one thing: more dullahan. It could be more of Nialls' people coming to get him. Nialls’ boss, Black Crom really wanted Nialls back in Ireland. Or these riders could be traitors, like that idiot named Ardall.

  
Geoff was halfway out of the booth when the bikes skidded to a stop in front of the inn/bar/restaurant. One of the bikes, the black one, Geoff recognized. It was Nialls. The other was a classic Harley belonging to a woman Geoff had only just met, Alessa. Relaxing his guard, Geoff sat back down at his booth. He snuck glances out the window while he ate the remaining bites of his burger.  
Both riders flicked their kickstands down and dismounted. The woman, Alessa, didn’t remove her helmet, instead she lifted up the visor. Nialls took his helmet off. He was taller than Alessa, by more than a foot. His white styled hair added a few extra inches to his impressive stature. The sun glinted off the piercing between his eyes and in his left ear. The dullahan laughed at something Alessa said. He offered a closed fist to her and she bumped it back. Alessa kicked up her stand and started to back out. It was a nice day for a ride, mused Geoff. Maybe he’d go out later and drive the truck with the windows down. It wouldn’t be the same as riding a bike, especially not like riding one particular bike, but he wasn’t going to spend time or energy on that particular daydream. Not right now at least.

  
Nialls took a carton of cigarettes out of his back pocket and stuck one in his mouth. Geoff watched as Nialls cupped the lighter with one hand while flicking the lighter with the other. Geoff thought to himself, he could light the cigarette for him. Nialls wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.  
“Get a grip, Geoff,” he whispered to himself.

Tearing his eyes away from the window, Geoff pushed his plate away and waved the bartender over. By the time he had settled his tab, Nialls wasn’t outside anymore. The bike was still there so the dullahan hadn’t left. As Geoff was sitting there, wondering where Nialls could have run off to, a smooth voice interrupted his thoughts.  
“Anyone sitting here, peach fuzz?”

  
Geoff looked up to see just where Nialls had disappeared to. Mustering his inner calm, Geoff replied, “Hey, Nialls. It’s free, Reaper just left.”  
Nialls dropped into the booth where moments before the other black clothed figure sat. Nialls kept his arms crossed in front of him on the table.

Frowning, he asked, “You still thinking about working with Mr. Tall-Dark-And Spooky?”  
“You’re one to talk, Nialls,” Geoff laughed. “I still need to think about it. It’s a big responsibility.”

  
Nialls shrugged and gazed out the window. Geoff followed his gaze. Across the street was a strip of small town businesses and vacancy signs. Every building in Destination was weathered and sun beaten. The whole town looked like a good windstorm would send it hurtling across the New Mexico desert. No people strolled about. A few parched potted plants added some color to the landscape. Nialls started to drum his fingers on the table.

  
Geoff couldn’t help but grin as he asked, “So, was there something you needed?”  
Nialls stared back at Geoff, “What, I can’t be just checking in on a friend after an apocalypse averting fight?”  
Geoff rolled his eyes. “After our last fight, you rode off into the night with barely a goodbye. I didn’t think small talk was really your thing?”

  
He didn’t mean for the bitterness to creep into his voice. But Geoff would be lying to himself if he thought the way Nialls left him the last time didn’t sting. If Nialls caught on to the sudden tone shift, he didn’t let on. He flung one arm across the back of the booth and propped the other one up.

  
“Alright. Ya got me. I came with ulterior motives.”  
“Oh, here we go,” Geoff muttered.  
“Now listen, I’m gonna be serious with you for a minute,” Nialls started. He took off his sunglasses, revealing two smokey blue eyes. “I’ve got a week left before I’m needed back home. It’s not exactly something I can say no to. And I intend to make the most out of this week. I wanted to know if I could spend it with you?”

  
Geoff waited for the punchline. He waited for Nialls to drop the serious facade and say a corny pick up line to break the seriousness of the question. But none came.  
“What do you mean?” Geoff asked.  
Nialls sighed. His dark skin flushed a bit as he explained, “I’ve spent a lot of time by myself and didn’t realize I might have been, well, lonely. Until I met you and the others. So I figure this could be a win win for both of us?”  
“How so?”  
“You get some smoking hot arm candy and I get to spend some time with someone other than stuffy, boring headless fairies before I’m stuck with them for another 500 years.”  
Geoff rested his chin in his hand. He hoped to all the good deities in the universe his blush wasn’t as bright as it felt.  
“No strings attached,” Nialls added, “We both go our separate ways at the end of this. You never have to think about this beautiful face again if you don’t want to.”  
“Right, right, no strings attached,” Geoff said.

  
Geoff felt his heart stop for a beat. That sounded awful. To never see Nialls again, to never think of those dumb and totally not hot piercings or his really nice ass in the tight leather pants. That sounded like a depressing state of mind. It would be better to end things now, Geoff’s brain mused. But a voice in the back of his head reminded him that a week was better than no time at all.

  
“No fluffy guardian angel on your shoulder this time to make decisions for ya,” Nialls said.  
“Well,” Geoff said, “I was thinking of driving somewhere. Maybe California since we’re so close. I’ve never been before.”  
Nialls looked down at the table. “Right, if you got plans--”  
“We could make it a road trip!” Geoff blurted out. “I think it would only take a few days if we push it! And we can put your bike in the back of my truck! And I know I have maps I can check,” Geoff trailed off. He saw Nialls smiling back at him.  
“Yeah, sounds great peach fuzz.”

  
Geoff scrambled to get out of the booth. It was overwhelming being the recipient of a genuine Nialls smile. Besides, he had to go plan for the trip further west. Now the maps under the seat of his car would finally be used.  
“I’ll be out at the truck planning. We could even leave soon, if that’s okay?” Geoff asked.  
“Not so fast, sweetie,” a cool voice said.

  
Behind Geoff stood the ocean hair lady, otherwise known as Rayella Harding. The combination of a bright purple jacket and neon geometric print leggings with the hue of her hair was startling. Clocking in at Geoff’s chin, she wasn’t that small either. Her cat eye was drawn to a razor sharp point. Rayella bumped Geoff with her hip.

  
“You two can go on your honeymoon after I talk to the stud here.” she said.  
Geoff rubbed his hip but tensed all the same. “What do you want from him?”  
Rayella’s eyes widened but she smiled a red lipsticked smile. “Mags mentioned you were protective, Geoff. Didn’t realize how much.”  
When Geoff didn’t move, Rayella sighed. She said, “I just want information. I’m not gonna kill him for trespassing,” her smile widened as she said, “This time.”  
“Hard to kill someone like me,” Nialls piped in. “You know, immortal being and all?”  
Rayella scoffed. “All things have weaknesses.”  
“Well, I don’t take too kindly to threats. They’re a real drag, you know?” Nialls replied. He put his sunglasses back on.  
“I don't like trespassers but I think I can settle on labeling you as a hitchhiker,” she said. Seeing Geoff still standing there, Rayella shooed him away. “Don’t you have a trip to plan?”

  
Geoff crossed his arms. He was scared of Reaper and slightly intimidated by this woman too, but he didn’t like bullies. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to leave Nialls with any of these people, no matter how respected they were.  
“Are you armed?”  
“Are you serious?” Rayella asked.

  
She motioned to herself and her outfit. It was skin tight and Geoff couldn’t see any weapons hidden. When he asked her to show her pockets she laughed but emptied them out. A phone and a tube of lipstick. She even stripped her jacket off to reveal just a bright orange sports bra. Nialls wolf whistled and Geoff blushed.

As she finished turning in a circle, Rayella asked, “Do I pass inspection, officer? Or do I need to take my pants off too?”  
Nialls cheered and clapped his hands. Rayella winked as Geoff stammered a no. He looked over at Nialls. “Are you going to be okay?”  
“With Scary Spice here?” Nialls laughed, “I think I’m fine, peach fuzz.”

  
Rayella zipped her jacket back up and took the seat opposite of Nialls. Geoff gave one last look at the two before heading out the door. Rayella flagged down the bartender, who was getting tired of all the work he had to do. He loved the money he was making but he was used to truckers and locals ordering. One and done. These people, whoever they were, liked to order and stick around.

  
“What can I get you this time?” he asked.  
“Soda water and lime, please. Extra lime.” Rayella ordered. The man looked over at Nialls. Nialls shrugged and asked, “Is it too early to drink around here?”  
The bartender laughed, but realized the man was sort of serious. “Uh, sure. Your business is your business.”  
“Give me something on tap, thanks bud.”

  
The man bristled at the word bud. Normally, if someone called him a nickname he’d take them out back and teach them how to use his name. But something about the man in front of him made him a bit wary. Maybe it was the sunglasses worn inside. Or the slight chill in any area the guy was in. Instead of doing what he usually did, the bartender managed a smile and headed back to the bar.

  
“So, short, spicy, and sexy, what can I do for you?” Nialls asked. He leaned back and stretched his other arm out. Rayella leaned in closer, putting her elbows up on the table and her chin in her hand.  
“Well, idiot, immortal, and indecent, like I already said. I want information.”  
“We all want things, Spice,” Nialls replied. “But like that song, sometimes you can’t always get what you want.”  
“But if you try sometimes, you might just get what you need,” she finished.  
“What I need is some peace and quiet. Which is what I’m going to get.”  
“With peach fuzz?” Rayella laughed. “With the way you eye fuck him, I don’t think peace and quiet is going to be a thing this week.”  
Nialls protective instinct kicked in. He dropped his arms and pointed across the table. “One, that’s my nickname. And second, you don’t know him like I do.”  
“And what’s that mean?” Rayella asked.  
“It means back the fuck off,” Nialls almost growled.

He could feel all of his muscles tensing up. What he wanted to do was utter her name. He knew it. He could do it. But then that could mean more ammo to her cause. Her intention sounded awfully like digging a permanent grave for him. He didn’t like the sound of that. Not before he gets to make out with Geoff one more time. By this point the bartender came back with their drinks. Three lime slices floated in Rayella’s. The other was a Bud Light Lime to match the lady’s drink, of course. Rayella fished a lime out and squeezed it into her drink. Nialls left his beer untouched.

  
“Alright, alright,” Rayella said. “I’ll stop teasing your boyfriend.”  
“He’s not my--”  
“Right, sorry. Your friend,” she corrected. “I just want some information. It’s not everyday you meet a dullahan outside of Ireland.”  
Nialls took a swig of the beer. It tasted like piss. And limes. Disgruntled, he snapped, “I don’t just talk to people for free, lady. There has to be some sort of perk for me.”

  
Rayella nodded. She combed her hair with a pale hand, thinking. While she thought, Nialls looked out the window. Across the street he saw the beat-up old truck that Geoff called his. The tailgate had a massive dent in it. A crack ran across the top of the back window. It predated Geoff by at least twenty years. Nialls internally groaned, he predated Geoff by centuries. He watched as Geoff pulled the tailgate down. He climbed up and sat on the edge, a large paper map in hand. He held a pencil in his mouth as he traced a route with his finger. After a few minutes, Geoff set the map aside. He crossed his arms and grabbed the ends of his hoodie with each hand. Pulling up and over his head, Geoff took off his hoodie. For a brief moment, Nialls saw Geoff’s whole torso. He could leave bite marks all over that torso.

  
“Earth to Dullahan,” said a voice like an ocean breeze, “Stop drooling over your friend there and listen up.”  
Nialls, for once, didn’t say anything. This woman had balls. It made sense, given her position in the human cult known as the ‘Big Five’, that she wasn’t someone you could just shake off with a no. She was persistent. And she had bonus points for style. Her arms were inked with tattoos of occult symbols and skulls.

  
“You answer my simple question and in exchange for that, I protect him,” she said.  
“Protect him?” Nialls repeated. “What does he need protecting from?”  
Nialls himself could list a thousand things that could kill the kid. The things that could do worse than kill, were a lot longer.  
Rayella’s smile faded. She sucked some of her seltzer water down before answering. “I think you know about the things that go bump in the night. And I think magic boy can fend for himself with those. I just think you’re forgetting the bigger threat.”  
“Enlighten me,” Nialls said. That tense feeling was back in his gut.  
“What I mean are other humans,” she leaned back and gestured over to Reaper and the others. “I mean, look at us. We’re slimy skeeve balls. We scheme and want what we want. Sometimes at the cost of other people.”  
“If you think that Reaper could do anything to Geoff, you’re out of your mind. I could wipe the floor with Reaper and use his trench coat to clean it up.”  
Rayella shook her head. “You really are pretty and dumb. I’m not just talking about Reaper. I’m talking about the type of people we deal with. The paranormal world and the normal world are full of shit heads who like to take advantage of people like Geoff.”  
“Magic kids?”  
“Good kids.”

Nialls could see it now. Some back alley group roping Geoff into their cause. It wouldn’t take much to get him on anyone’s side. Geoff would go anywhere if someone was in trouble, real or fictional. Geoff would be like putty in the wrong people’s hands. Easy to manipulate, easier to take advantage of.  
“And I’m assuming you can’t stay here forever?” Rayella continued. When Nialls frowned she took it as the answer.  
“You’ll need someone to help look after him.”  
“And you’d do that?”  
“We all would. But me especially. It’s the whole point of why Reaper wants him on the team. You and I both know that Geoff’s a bright kid in more ways than one. If he were to fall into the wrong hands, like say, the Order of the Natural World, it could be a disaster.”

  
That damn other cult again, Nialls thought. It was the one Alessa was trying to cut ties with. And it was the same one Henry had escaped from. Nialls didn’t know much about it besides that they were overly controlling and bad enough that two people he barely knew wanted nothing to do with it. He didn’t want Geoff within a mile radius of something like that.

  
“But then again, maybe this won’t be a good exchange. After all, Geoff doesn’t really mean anything to you, right?”  
Nialls sneered, “Watch it.”  
Rayella giggled and sipped on her drink.  
“Fine. We have a deal. You look after...him… and I talk,” he said. Smirking, he added, “I think I have the easy part of the bargain here.”  
Rayella pulled her phone out of her pocket. She pulled up the notes section and held her thumbs over the keyboard. “First off,” she said. “Let’s start big and work small. Why did you come to America?”  
“Wanted to.”  
“And your boss man allowed that?”  
Nialls shifted in his seat. “Me and boss man’s relationship is off the table, Scary Spice. But I’ll say we weren’t on speaking terms. So I ditched. Came stateside.”  
Rayella punched all of this into her phone.  
“And what did you do? What did you see?”

  
Nialls gave her a summary of the places he visited in the United States, in Mexico, and in Canada. She interjected a few times, asking about other paranormal things he noticed. Sights he saw, real mundane things like that. Her fingers were a blur on the keyboard.

  
“Why do you want to know where I went so bad?” He asked.  
“Sweetie, my job is to know the going ons of all paranormal humanoids in this country.”  
Nialls whistled, “Sounds like a sucky job.”  
“I have a lot of help. Now, next question,” she said. “How many humans did you seriously interact with.”  
“Define seriously interact with.”  
“I need to know if there are messes I have to clean up. People that know about the existence of you that shouldn’t.”  
Nialls lowered his sunglasses, “Lady, I wasn’t created yesterday. I’m careful with this shit. No one saw me as I am who I didn’t want to see it.”  
Rayella stared at him for a moment then nodded. “When do you head back to Ireland?”  
“One week.”  
“Oh, so that’s why you’re so eager to get going with magic boy. Well, I think that covers most of my questions. I know all the lore about you dullahan and I saw you in action, so no need to cover that,” Rayella mused. “See, was that so painful?”  
Nialls rolled his eyes. “Just annoying.”  
Rayella knocked back the rest of her drink. She tucked her phone away and held out her hand. “I’ll keep an eye on him for you. Regardless if he joins us or not, I promise that.”

  
Nialls took her hand and gave it a firm shake. Rayella winked again, and said, “Now go get your friend, tiger.”  
Nialls, just to prove to himself he wasn’t attached to the kid, watched Rayella walk away. But the swing of those hips really did nothing for him. He looked outside and saw Geoff talking to an older man. The tweed jacket and the slacks could only mean Henry. Wanting to give Geoff some more time with his mentor, Nialls scanned the room to find a familiar face. Over near the Fantastic Five or whatever they were called, sat just the person he was looking for. He left some American money on the table next to the unfinished beer.

  
The woman eating fries drenched in ketchup didn’t even look up to see who sat down across from her. “Nialls,” Mags said with a mouthful of fries.  
“Sunshine!” he grinned. “Looking good.”

  
She rolled her eyes. Mags looked the same as how Nialls had left her. Curly hair still piled on top of her head in a mohawk, dark circles under brown eyes, and the same wiry frame. Because of the black tank top, he could see the full extent of her gothic chest tattoo. The wings of the cross stretched from shoulder to shoulder and the cross started beneath her chin and ended at her collarbone. It wasn’t a color tattoo, just simple black lines on dark brown skin. With all the black clothing and her general quiet demeanor, it made his name for her more fitting.

  
“What’s the deal with you working for one of these chumps?” he asked. He reached over and stole a fry.  
She shrugged, “They aren’t that bad. Do you think I would work for them if they were?”  
“Nah, you’re too smart for that Sunshine,” he replied. “So, how’d you meet these weirdos?”  
Mags dabbed her face with a napkin. She pushed the plate of fries over to him  
“After the incident in Vivian, Rayella tracked me down. She said she was very impressed with how we handled it. She kept popping up in my life, especially in times I needed someone.”  
“Trying to kill vampires by yourself?” Nialls asked.  
Mags half-smiled. “Something like that.”  
“You’re crazy, Sunshine.”  
“Anyways,” Mags continued, shrugging off the concern, “After the third time saving me, we got to talking. Our goals are similar.”  
“To kill creepy things?”  
“Only the ones who bother people,” Mags said. Nialls heard the conviction in her voice and kept quiet.  
“It may not be your type of thing, Nialls. But I get to protect people and make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen again.”  
Nialls took his glasses off again. “Hey, I get it. Do what makes you happy Sunshine. Don’t worry what assholes like me think.”  
“I don’t worry, but thanks,” she said with a smile. “So, you didn’t leave right away like last time. What gives?”  
Nialls shoved another fry into his mouth. He didn’t have the strongest of taste buds but fried foods always sat well with him. “Can’t a guy hang around for once? Between you and peach fuzz, everyone has been buggin’ about me hanging around.”  
“Yeah, what is going on with you and Geoff?”  
“Peach fuzz and I are going on vacation.”  
“Together?”  
Nialls nodded. “No strings attached. I have to go back to Ireland at the end of the week. Big guy misses me so much that he wants me back, no punishment but a promotion.”  
“Well, as long as you’re happy,” Mags said.  
“Of course I am,” Nialls lied. “Got peach fuzz for one week. What else do I need?”

  
The two drifted off into other conversation. Nialls was relieved that the focus shifted away from him. He had talked way too much about himself in the last thirty minutes for his liking. And it was nice to catch up with an old friend. Unlike most humans he met, Mags had had a taste of what the paranormal was like. Most importantly to Nialls, it meant she didn’t run when his head popped off. Neither had Geoff. As Mags started to tell Nialls more about working with Rayella, he found himself wondering if that kid was done talking to Henry. The idea of finally being alone with Geoff was starting to drive him crazy. Which, he was going to have to tone down, Nialls reminded himself. No strings attached meant not thinking of Geoff every waking moment he wasn’t around.

  
Outside, Geoff was laughing at the memory Henry had brought up. It had been during a chemistry class back in high school. Henry, back then known to Geoff as Mr. Brandt, was in the middle of a lecture when another student started freaking out. Smoke was coming up from Geoff’s seat. Geoff, who was dozing off, had started to burn a hole into the pocket of his hoodie. Mr. Brandt had managed to cause a greater distraction by knocking some books off his desk, waking Geoff up. Geoff, seeing the smoke, immediately stopped his smoldering. Then the fire sprinklers went off and the whole school, an entire building of 800 kids, had to file out to the football field. Most of the students dismissed the one student’s account that it was literally Geoff causing the fire and accepted Mr. Brandt’s explanation of an overheated light bulb. Needless to say, that was how Henry had discovered Geoff’s magic.

  
“And you were so scared when I asked you to stay after school, you thought I was going to call the police on you,” Henry chuckled.  
Geoff, red in the face but still laughing, said, “I was dead scared.”  
“I just wondered all these years what you possibly thought I could say to the police. ‘Excuse me officer, we have a pyrokinetic boy here. I'm concerned about his sleeping habits?’”  
“I was seventeen! That's the worst thing I could think of!” Geoff exclaimed. Henry shook his head and pushed his glasses back up his nose, his laughter trailing off. Geoff grew quiet as well.  
“So, I hear Reaper made an offer to you?”  
“Yeah, yeah. That he did.” Geoff replied.  
“I think you’d be good at it,” Henry said. “I really do.”  
When Geoff scoffed Henry shook his head, adding, “I’m serious. I was the one who suggested it.”

  
Geoff was beyond floored. Every day he was getting better at controlling his magic but by no means did he feel like an expert. And that’s what the Big Five were, experts. Everything Geoff did either was a leap of faith or a stroke of luck. He didn’t feel ‘in tune’ with his magic or that he even particularly understood it. It was just something that happened from time to time.

  
“I-I don’t even know what to say,” Geoff stammered. “I mean, holy shit, you recommended me? But why? How?”  
“Of course. You’ve progressed considerably since I last saw you. Before you were scared of casting a single flame and now, well now, I see you bending fire to your will. Not to mention other elements. And you care about things, truly and deeply.”  
“Some would call it being naive,” Geoff muttered.  
“Or some would call it bravery. Sacrifice. Decency.” Henry corrected. “All the things that, believe it or not, those people in the Big Five have. They’re a lot of flash and glamour but deep down, they have those qualities at heart. Now I know Reaper grilled you about joining. So I won’t repeat it all. Just wanted you to know you’ll have someone in your corner if you do join.”

  
Henry stuck out his hand. When Geoff shook it, it didn’t feel like a typical handshake, it felt like it was another goodbye. Finally, back again with his mentor and in less than forty eight hours, they would be parting ways again. Blinking back some tears, Geoff asked, “So is the next time I see you when another demon or whatever needs an ass kicking?”  
Henry chuckled and looked down. “I plan on staying in touch a bit better this time around. I have better connections and more protection from the Order. I promise.”

  
Geoff nodded. He willed the rest of his sadness away for another time. Maybe next week when he was back to being on his own. No angel companion, wacky cryptid hunters, or vampire bitten friends by his side. And no Nialls. Burying the thought of that with his sadness, Geoff hopped off the tailgate and hugged Henry tight.

  
“Take care of yourself, Henry,” he said. Henry hugged back and said the same. He took one last long look at Geoff before saying, “Whatever you do next, you’ll make me proud.”

  
And with that, Henry headed back towards the motel, leaving Geoff standing shocked at the back of his truck. Shaking himself out of the stupor he gathered up his maps and notebooks and put them in the front seat. He noticed the candy bar wrappers and the empty chip bags lying about the cabin of his truck. He found an old paper bag shoved under the seat and used it to start cleaning up the garbage. When he thought he had grabbed the last of the wrappers he assessed the state of his cabin. A little dusty, a little sun beaten, but all in all, respectable. Geoff shut the door of his truck and caught his reflection in the rearview mirror. He wasn’t as tan as he usually was given that he wasn’t working on his family’s farm. Besides, standing next to Nialls even when he was tan he’d be paler. His brown hair was, to put it nicely, much like bed head. It never went the way Geoff wanted. He had gone through a terrible phase in middle school with hair gel in an attempt to tame it, but even that hadn’t worked. The few scrapes he had gotten from the big fight were mostly just faded yellow bruises along his arms. Geoff’s wardrobe was simple, just a collection of different color t-shirts and jeans. He brushed off some dust from the front of his shirt before leaning down and really looking at his face. Bags under the eyes, high cheekbones, no sign of acne, just plain old Geoff.

Then there was Nialls. Geoff was used to being the taller one in the room standing at 6’1. But now that Nialls was around, the dullahan was the taller one by several inches. The more that Geoff thought about it, Nialls was the opposite in everything to him. He was taller. His hair, the shaved sides leading into a white hair mohawk, looked a lot better than Geoff’s hopeless mop. Nialls made the dumb riding chaps look incredible and not to mention his whole black leather jacket ensemble looked beyond cool. Underneath those clothes was most definitely a well defined body. Geoff’s body erred more towards lean and scrawny than muscles. Nialls was laid back and funny and Geoff was a bundle of anxiety and stuttering. Why Nialls took an interest in someone like him was starting to really turn into a mystery to Geoff.

  
“It’s not an interest. It’s a week, Geoff,” he whispered to himself.

Standing upright, Geoff looked back towards the motel. Nialls was out, leaning against the front window smoking a cigarette. Geoff wasn’t one for smoking but seeing Nialls do it wishes he had picked up the dirty habit. Nialls took one last drag on the cigarette before putting it out on the bottom of his boot. He was glad his condition required sunglasses; it hid all the times he checked out Geoff. Not that he was shy about that, he just didn’t want to seem like he was pining. Because he wasn’t. It was no strings attached. He flicked his used cigarette next to the pile of them at the corner of the building. He headed across the street where Geoff was looking at the maps again.

  
“Are you sure this hunk of junk is gonna make it outta this state, peach fuzz?” Nialls asked. He thumped a fist in a dent running along the side. Geoff looked up, smiling, “Of course it will. It's made it this far.”  
“We could do this trip on my bike, just sayin’. You hanging tight to me doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Nialls mused.  
“I like my truck,” Geoff said back. “If you really want to ride your bike instead of sitting shotgun, we can do--”  
“And miss the opportunity to backseat drive?” Nialls interrupted. “Not a chance.”  
Geoff silently thanked the heavens. Driving by himself was not something he wanted to do quite yet.  
“So, how are we going to get your bike in my truck? Should we ask for some help lifting it up or try it ourselves?” Geoff asked. He went to open his tailgate. Nialls grinned and shook his head. “Adorable, peach fuzz, just adorable.”

  
Nialls whistled. His bike, which was parked across the street, turned into a black horse. It took off at a gallop and leaped into the bed of the truck. The truck creaked with the added weight. Nialls whistled again, this time slightly lower in pitch, and within a blink, the horse was back to a black motorcycle. Geoff just put the tailgate back up. He fished around the bed for a few stray bungee cords and the two of them secured Nialls’ steed to the truck. Geoff asked if Nialls had everything, forgetting that Nialls traveled extremely light. Geoff’s stuff was already in the back of the truck from that morning.  
“Well, are you ready to do this?” Geoff asked.  
“Peach fuzz, this is the best week of my life,” Nialls grinned.

  
Geoff blushed as he went to the driver’s side door, hopping in. Nialls climbed into the passenger side. It was a small cabin, Nialls had to slouch a tiny bit so his head wouldn’t be pressed against the top. Geoff’s head just skimmed the ceiling. As Geoff started the car, the radio kicked back on. It was playing some old time country music. The truck reversed and Geoff pointed the truck into the right direction to get to California. With barely a backwards glance from either of them, the two drove away from the street that made up Destination, New Mexico. Besides the music, the two were quiet. Nialls broke the silence once to ask if he could smoke with the window down, which Geoff said was fine. The window down droned out the music but it kept the air circulating in the small cabin. Nialls took another deep drag on his second cigarette in less than an hour. He made sure to keep the smoke out the open window. Normally, smoking was what he did when he was bored. But the feeling right now, was anything but boredom. It bordered on anxiety. All of the conversations he’d thought he’d tease Geoff with were all jumbled and hard to pull apart. He was definitely pleased to finally be alone with the magic kid but now he wasn’t sure what to do with it. Instead of figuring it out, Nialls took another drag on his cigarette.

  
Geoff, not sure what to talk to a dullahan about, just turned up the music a bit for something to keep him occupied. The directions to California weren’t that complicated, just long stretches between gas stations. He was hoping to get good distance tonight, perhaps even sleeping in the truck to save on money. His supply of cash was getting slim and he didn’t want to ask his parents to wire any to him. What he had was what he was going to live on for at least this week. Afterwards, he’d figure out something. Perhaps he’d have to take up Reaper on the offer. It was backed by Henry, whom he trusted, and what else would his options be? Going back to Days Landing was not really in the cards for him. The fear of bringing whatever paranormal things that could sense him close to his family and old town friends, haunted him. It was better to be a drifter for the time being. After nearly an hour of silence, Geoff decided to turn down the music and attempt a conversation.

  
“So, what did Rayella want?”  
“Hm?” Nialls asked, lost in thought himself. “Oh, Scary Spice? Yeah, she just wanted intel on me. We made a bargain and I gave it to her so she’d stop being so scary. But, have to admit it was kind of hot being interrogated like that, you know?”  
Geoff had a pang of jealousy that he promptly buried. That was just Nialls’ code to say that he enjoyed his time.  
“What was your bargain?”  
“Oh, you know. Just an exchange of sorts. Don’t you worry your pretty head about it, peach fuzz.”

  
The silence drifted back into the truck’s cabin. Every now and then, one of them would comment on the passing scenery or an outdated billboard, but otherwise it was quiet. Songs started to repeat on that station so Geoff fished for a CD that had slid under the seat. He put it in and let the sounds of Green Day take over the space. Without realizing it, Geoff started to hum along to the song. Then it progressed to nonsense notes, then to full lyrics. Nialls glanced over at Geoff, watching him enjoy the music. He could get used to this, he thought. And before he knew it, Nialls had drifted off into a void that humans would call sleep. It wasn’t until nightfall that Nialls woke up from his trance. The car was still humming along the darkened highway. Barely any traffic was on the road, given the location in the country and the time of night. Glancing at the clock, it was well past ten at night. Nialls stretched as best as he could.

  
“What did I miss?” he asked.  
Geoff looked over at Nialls before turning his attention back to the road. “Oh, just lots of the same. I filled up the tank a while back. Bought some snacks, they’re by your feet, I hope you don’t mind. It was kind of dinner too. I left you some beef jerky and chips, if you like that sort of thing. I wasn’t really sure what to get and I didn’t want to wake you up just to ask for food when you don’t really eat. Anyways, that was what you missed,” Geoff said, finally taking a breath.

  
Nialls grabbed the bag and started to rummage through it. Most of it was knock off brands of potato chips, trail mixes, and cookies. The jerky was at the bottom of the bag next to an empty can of an energy drink brand Nialls didn’t recognize. That explained the slight hyper edge to Geoff’s voice. Nialls decided to be polite and take a piece of jerky. As he chewed on the smoked meat, he looked back over at Geoff. His shoulders were raised and he wasn’t leaning back against the seat like he was earlier. In the dim light, Nialls could see the droop to Geoff’s eyes.

  
“You know I could drive this thing if you wanted a nap?” Nialls asked.  
“Huh?” Geoff said, “Oh, no. I was planning on driving straight through. We have a lot of ground to cover if we want to get to California and see some things before you lea-, have to go back to Ireland.”  
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea, peach fuzz,” Nialls said. “Why don’t we find one of those motel things and crash there for a night.”  
Geoff shrugged. “If I was going to stop, and that’s an if, it was going to be just on the side of the road.”  
“What and sleep in the truck?” scoffed Nialls.  
“It’s actually kind of nice in the bed of the truck,” Geoff replied.  
“Peach fuzz, that’s how you get murdered by serial killers. Sleeping on the side of the road.”  
Geoff shrugged again. “I’ve done it before, no problem.”  
Nialls fought the urge to facepalm. Rayella was going to have her work cut out for her when Nialls was gone.  
“Alright,” Nialls said, switching tactics, “If you don’t want me driving the truck and you don’t want to go to a motel, just pull over. I’ll stay up and make sure crazy assholes don’t make you their next target.”  
“Well, it’s not that I don’t want you driving the truck, it's just I like driving the truck with someone next to me. It kind of reminds me of when Nameless and I…” Geoff trailed off. He sniffed once and then turned up the radio. Nialls turned it back down. He reached over and patted Geoff on the arm.  
“I get it, peach fuzz,” Nialls said. He winced at the inappropriate use of the nickname. It sucked not being able to say the name of the person you like. Killing Geoff because Nialls said it wasn’t anywhere near worth it.

  
“Just pull the truck over. Let’s get you some sleep. Cause you know the highway will still be here tomorrow and so will California,” Nialls said. He really wished Nameless was here. She was always so good at calming people and getting them to do logical things. The most Nialls could do was threaten someone with a good time.

  
There were a tense few moments where it looked like Geoff wasn’t going to listen but then the truck began to slow down. The truck bounced a few times as it crossed from the smooth road to the dusty, rocky terrain. Geoff parked the truck under a peeling billboard from yesteryear. He turned off the truck. He went to pull the keys out of the ignition but didn’t. His hand gripped the keychain. Nialls was just about to ask him if he was feeling alright when Geoff beat him to the punch.

  
“Is this the right thing to do?”  
“What do you mean peach fuzz?”  
Geoff kept staring at the steering wheel. He took a deep breath and started talking.  
“This. This road trip we’re on. If there’s other things you want to be doing or seeing or hanging with...what I mean is you don’t have to humor me. If this is like, not your idea of a good week, I want you to be doing that. Not hanging with me because you feel like you owe me or something.”  
“And what gave you this idea?”  
Geoff shrugged. “I mean we’ve barely talked for seven hours. Granted, you were sleeping for most of that, but I mean you never sleep so clearly this must not be your cup of tea, or shot of whiskey? Whatever, I think you get what I’m saying. I don’t want to be dragging you along. And I’d totally understand, no hard feelings or anything.”  
Geoff opened his mouth to say more but Nialls reached over and put his hand over Geoff’s, stopping him from more. “Slow down there. Look at me.” He waited until Geoff did.  
“I don’t think you get it. I “fell asleep” because I felt comfortable with you.”  
“What?”  
“Yeah, it’s not something I do around people I don’t trust. And believe it or not, peach fuzz, I trust you more than most other humans,” Nialls explained. “And I’ll be real with you for a second, which twice in one day has got to be a record. I didn’t talk a lot today cause I was nervous.”  
“Nervous?” Geoff said. “Of me?”  
Nialls just nodded. He had wanted to impress Geoff with great stories and wild tales but it was as if his voice box had taken a vacation. Everything had sounded stupid to him.  
“I punked out. I took the easy route and kept my mouth shut. But trust me, I really wanted to talk to you. Just didn’t know what about.”  
“You can talk to me about anything, really,” Geoff said. He gently squeezed Nialls' hand. “I’m kind of interested in what you have to say.”  
“Some of it is kind of stupid,” Nialls replied.  
“So?” Geoff laughed. “I just said some really stupid things and you still want to hang around.”  
“I didn’t think they were stupid things,” Nialls said.

The two looked at each other. As they talked their bodies had started to lean towards one another. It was really just a couple more inches and they would be close to one another. Nialls saw Geoff glance down at Nialls' mouth and took the initiative. It was a sweet kiss, one that wasn’t too long or too short. A warmth spread through Geoff’s body. If anyone was watching, they would see one dark figure and another one glowing. Nialls broke from the kiss. What he wanted to do right now was something Geoff didn’t need. Or asked for. Geoff, however, leaned in again and Nialls internally groaned at what he did next. He gently pushed against Geoff’s chest, stopping him.

“Listen, peach fuzz, I want nothing more than to make out with you, but you need rest.”  
“I’m not a child, Nialls,” Geoff said back.

He pushed against Nialls' hand. Forgetting Geoff’s best interest, Nialls grabbed Geoff’s shirt and pulled him into his lap. The console dug into Geoff’s hip but he didn’t care about that. He interlocked his fingers behind Nialls' neck and deepened the kiss. Nialls wrapped his arms around Geoff’s slim waist, holding him up and pulling him closer. They pushed and pulled, their mouths crashing against one another like waves in a storm. Somewhere in between kisses, Geoff took off Nialls' sunglasses and flung them behind him. Pale blue eyes met green and then it was back to what they started. Both of them lost track of the time. It was when Geoff dropped his hands to Nialls' pants, Nialls’ brain kicked back on. After one more deep kiss, Nialls pulled away again. Geoff tried to get back at it but Nialls dodged, bumping both of their foreheads together instead.

  
“You. Need. Rest,” Nialls breathed.  
“I’m fine,” Geoff said back.  
“Peach fuzz, this is insanely hot, but again, you need rest.”  
“You need a better nickname for me then peach fuzz,” groaned Geoff. Reluctantly, he went back to his side of the truck.  
Nialls grinned, “What about a chuisle?”  
“What’s that mean?”  
“Fuzzy peach in Gaelic,” Nialls lied.

  
Geoff burst out laughing. Nialls started too and the two couldn’t stop. After a few minutes, and a few gasping breaths, they got out of the truck. Nialls coaxed his bike out of the back of the truck like he did earlier that afternoon, leaving the whole bed of the truck open. Geoff hoisted himself up and climbed to the front of the bed. Underneath a bunched up piece of blue tarp was where he hid his bags, sleeping bag, and other gear. He shook out the dust from his worn out sleeping bag and laid it out. Nialls stood at the tailgate, watching Geoff wiggle into the sleeping bag. He craved another cigarette just to calm his nerves but pushed it away when the wind blew across the desert. He needed to conserve the rest of his cigarettes. Nialls climbed into the truck. Geoff popped up on his elbows, looking eager for something more, but Nialls just dropped down next to him.

  
“You know if you broke my sunglasses, I’m going to have to extract some sort of payment,” Nialls said.  
“Sorry about that,” Geoff blushed, “I can buy you a new pair at the next stop.”  
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Now shut up and go to sleep.”  
“Gonna get mad if I don’t?” Geoff taunted. Nialls looked down at Geoff. The kid just smiled the most charming half smile Nialls had ever seen. Rolling his eyes, Nialls leaned down and kissed Geoff once more, a brief, chaste kiss on the cheek.  
“If you don’t go to sleep I swear to Nameless I won’t make out with you the rest of this week.”  
“Well, shit,” Geoff grumbled.

He dropped onto his back. Gazing up, he watched as a few shooting stars shot across the sky. To himself, he made an impossible wish before closing his eyes. Nialls knew it wouldn’t take long for Geoff to doze off. He leaned against the cabin of the truck, arms flung out on either side. He was ready for a long night. A long night of trying not to think about what just happened and what it did to him on the inside. The only thought that kept it at bay was knowing he would have to see Black Crom’s face when he came to pick him up. Seven days. Running a hand through his hair, Nialls shook his head. Looking back down at Geoff, fast asleep, calmed him. He better make these seven days count.


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2! 
> 
> Let's see where these two get up to as they travel westward...
> 
> And again, these characters (Geoff and Nialls) belong to my friends/collaborators who gave me permission to create a story. Everything else I can say is my own creation. 
> 
> See you next Wednesday!

Day Two 12:16 pm

The sun beat down on the few guests at the rest stop. Each of the four picnic tables had one or a few people sitting at it. One family was your average American family: a boy and a girl, complete with two parents. The other tables had a few couples paired with a few lonely truckers. It was a spacious rest stop. Under the main awning it had single stall bathrooms, a few vending machines, a little stand of brochures, and a water fountain. The picnic tables were spread out around that little pavilion, not a single one getting shade. The people seated at these tables, enjoying a slight relief from their travels, all looked varying shades of uncomfortable or road weary. All except the two at the farthest table away from the pavilion.

Geoff couldn’t stop laughing. He tried to take a few sips of his water but everytime he did, Nialls would continue on with a wild twist to the story he was telling. Geoff found the mishaps he got in ridiculous but so incredibly Nialls. 

“And then I shit you not, peach fuzz, there were eight of them cornering me in an alleyway.”

“Eight leprechauns?” Geoff asked.

Nialls nodded, “At least eight of them. And mind you, I didn’t have my sword on me. All I had was a bottle of beer. Remember, this is all about some gold that I found no where near these guys’ stash. But leprechauns are sons of bitches and they don’t listen to anyone when gold is involved, ‘specially theirs.”

“Okay, okay,” Geoff said between bursts of laughs, “So you’re in this alleyway. No sword and there’s eight leprechauns.”

“Those little bastards try to come at me so I, not even done with my beer, swig it all down in one go, crack the damn thing against the wall and just yell some sort of battle cry at them and it’s game on.” 

“What did the battle cry sound like?”

“Your worst nightmare,” Nialls said, wiggling his eyebrows. Geoff smacked his forehead and rolled his eyes. 

“Okay nightmare, what did you do next?” 

Geoff listened to Nialls describe how he single-handedly fought off the “little suckers” with just the beer bottle, the walls of the alleyway, and inebriated thinking. It was five minutes of play by play, from punch to bloody punch. Geoff had a feeling Nialls was exaggerating at parts but he went along with it. When Nialls told stories he used a lot hand gestures but the best part was his voice would slip back into his Irish accent. He’d never tell Nialls, but the accent felt warm to him, like a sunray on a cloudy day. Geoff continued to nod along at key points and followed Nialls’ story to the victorious end. 

“And that, a chuisle, is how eight leprecauns met their end.”

“But did you take their gold?”

Nialls put a hand over his chest in mock hurt. He said, “You wound me. Of course not! I had no idea where they had gotten that story from. Probably from some idiot in the bar trying to get me taken care of.”

Geoff smiled, “You just make friends wherever you go, huh, Nialls?”

“I’m a really good time if people just thought to ask,” Nialls shrugged. He didn’t catch Geoff blushing at that, he was preoccupied with getting the cigarettes out of his pants pocket. 

“Ready to hit the road after one of these,” he told Geoff.

Geoff watched him head away from the table. He shoved the empty food wrappers, mostly all his, into the bag they’d bought them in and searched for the nearest trash can. He spotted one close to his truck. Heading that way, Geoff thought about the day so far. It had started with Nialls’ nudging Geoff awake to see the sun rise. Through eyes still swimming with sleep, Geoff had watched the glorious pinks and purples take up the morning sky. Nialls, immediately noticing Geoff still half asleep, let him sleep against his shoulder for another few hours. Then, when Geoff had woken naturally, the adventure started. Instead of the eerie quiet of yesterday, Nialls was full of conversation. They discussed things like favorite movies, favorite bands, favorite things they’ve seen, and even boring things like Geoff’s favorite school classes growing up. Nialls had done more of the talking, starting nearly every conversation, but Geoff was determined for this next go around to offer more. 

He threw the garbage away and walked towards his truck. Safe and sound, like when they left. An elderly trucker stood in the spot next to Geoff's truck, staring at the bike. 

“That bike yours?” the man asked. 

Geoff shook his head. He placed his hand on the handle of the driver side door. 

“It’s my bo-, I mean friend’s,” Geoff quickly corrected. He had no idea where the word he almost blurted out had come from. Probably still scattered wires from last night’s makeout, Geoff figured. 

The man looked at him sadly. “You can go ahead and say boyfriend. I ain’t one of those folks.”

“O-oh, no it’s not like that. We’re just friends. Just friends on a road trip,” Geoff replied. He even threw in a grin, trying to seem convincing. 

“Well then, tell him it's a classic bike. Haven’t seen one in such good condition in a long while,” the man said. He wished Geoff a good day and headed off towards the area where the semis were parked. Geoff sighed audibly and climbed back into the truck. Neither of his parents were particularly awkward people. He must have had a wacky aunt or a strange uncle somewhere in his genetics. He rolled the window down with the hand crank before resting his head on the steering wheel. The words he had just said to a complete stranger looped through his head. He was so engrossed in being embarrassed that he didn’t hear Nialls approach the truck until he was leaning in the window.

“Yo, peach fuzz. You feelin’ okay?” Nialls asked. 

Geoff shot up and back into his seat. “Shit, I didn’t hear you come up!”

Nialls had one arm leaning on the window, the other propping his head up. Even with the dark sunglasses, Geoff could feel the gaze searching him. 

“I’m fine, really. Just was replaying something stupid I said to a complete stranger, nothing earth shattering here,” Geoff said. 

Nialls lowered his sunglasses a smidge to peer over the top of them. Geoff laughed and swore that he was telling the truth. Accepting this, Nialls straightened up and headed to his side of the truck. After climbing in and buckling his seatbelt, he added, “I’m sure it wasn’t stupid. I bet it was cute.”

Hoping the heat would cover his blush, Geoff just laughed it off. He told Nialls about the man and the complement of his bike. He definitely left out the awkward introduction.

“Oh man, I love talking about her. Too bad he scrammed. Probably saw me coming from a mile away,” Nialls laughed. “I have that effect on people. They either love me or want to punch me. What about you, peach fuzz? Which one were you?”

Geoff glanced at Nialls and smiled, “Probably punch you.”

“Wound me again, why don’t you?” Nialls groaned. 

Geoff listened to just how much Nialls was wounded as he got the truck back onto the highway. Soon, the rest stop disappeared in the rearview mirror. Nialls started playing with the radio dial and switching through the stations. A lot of it was Christian music, which just made both of them howl with laughter. Nialls had a good story for various people from Biblical times it turned out. He even had to chase down Saint Patrick when it was his time to go. Eventually, Nialls settled on a country station that was a touch more folksy. This time, Geoff didn’t mind the half hour or so of silence. It gave him time to think of something to talk about. 

“So has your bike been with you the whole time?” he asked. Might as well go off of the last thing they’d spoken about. 

Nodding, Nialls said, “Yeah pretty much. I don’t remember a time without her, really. And she hasn’t always been a bike. She’s mostly been a horse.”

“Did you have to learn how to ride her?”

“Nah, it was like it was something I was created with. I just knew how to be with her and her with me,” Nialls replied. 

“What’s her name?” Geoff paused, adding, “Can you say her name?”

“It’s the only name I can say,” Nialls said. A hint of roughness entered his voice. Geoff decided not to pry. The song switched and the lonely voice of a heartbroken man drifted through the speakers. Geoff had half a thought to change it but decided against it.

“Chicory’s her name, though,” Nialls said. 

“That’s a nice name,” Geoff managed to say. 

Nialls started to talk about the time he and Chicory were stuck in a storm and that carried the conversation for a while. He was in the middle of sentence when the truck jolted and jerked, sending his head into the ceiling. Geoff’s almost smacked the side of the truck. The truck began rattling and shaking even more, so while Nialls was swearing about the bump, Geoff slowed the truck down and steered it to the side of the road. Checking for traffic, of which there was none, Geoff got out of the truck. He ran his hand along its side, much like a person would with a hurt animal. He rounded the back, still not seeing anything out of the ordinary. It was when he got to Nialls' side of the truck that he saw it. The front truck wheel had gone flat. 

“Shit,” Geoff swore. 

“What’s up?” Nialls asked out of his open window. 

“Tire’s gone flat,” Geoff sighed. “I got one in the back. And I got the tools I need, it’ll just take me a bit.”

While Geoff got the tools, Nialls stepped out of the car and surveyed the damage. The tire was perfectly round at the top; it was at the bottom where it flatlined. With Chicory, Nialls didn’t have to worry about those sorts of things. She was as fine and fit as the day he first rode her, centuries before. She could take damage like him, but it was a long rest that healed those types of things. And besides, Nialls was protective of things that he cared for. Chicory was the one constant in his long, immortal life. Other dullahan hadn’t taken a liking to humans quite like he had. Mostly, they used humans for their own pleasure or wants. It wasn’t anything like Nialls, who viewed himself more as, well, another human at times. Humans, in their short lifetimes compared to his unending one, made big impacts. Especially the people that care fiercely and live fully. People like Polly had been. A person like Geoff. 

There was a clatter of metal hitting hard, dry ground. Two tools Nialls had never seen before had just been dropped from the bed of the truck. There was a grunt and another thud and a spare tire was next. Geoff hopped over the side landing next to the tire. He stood up straight, wiped his hands on his jeans, and stared at his tools.   
When he was in high school, his dad had talked him through changing a tire. Their tire had gone flat on an errand run. Geoff remembered how his dad had handled it. His dad, a talker rather than a shower, remained calm and pulled their car over the side of the road. At the time, Geoff had wanted to call AAA, but his dad challenged him not to. He then proceeded to pull things out the trunk of the minivan. Geoff hadn’t even known those things existed. 

In his hand now, were those tools. One, the wrench, was just two pieces of metal welded together with little sockets on the ends. The other was the car jack. It was another little contraption of metal that was supposed to hold the entire weight of the car off of Geoff as he worked. Geoff continued to stand, sun beating down on his neck, looking at the tools, then the flat, then the new tire, and back again. 

Nialls felt helpless. He asked, “Can I help?”

“I take it you don’t have to change a tire on Chicory, huh?” Geoff laughed. 

Nialls shook his head. Geoff blew air through his lips, the sound like a motor on a boat.

“I should be able to do it. Just have to hopefully not kill myself while doing it,” he said. 

Nialls agreed. He didn’t want to cramp Geoff as he worked so he headed off a few feet into the brush to smoke a cigarette. Besides, if he was behind Geoff, he could secretly watch him work. 

“Alright, Geoff. Let’s try this out,” Geoff whispered to himself. He grabbed the wrench and kneeled down next to the flat tire. He attached the wrench to one of the lug nuts sticking out. He tried to turn it clockwise once and was met with heavy resistance. Geoff rolled up his sleeves and pushed with both hands. This time it budged. Using that as motivation, Geoff kept pushing with both hands until he was able to loosen it up considerably. Victorious, he moved on to the next lug nut. After a few minutes of tugging, swearing, and pulling, Geoff was able to get all four loose. Now came what was the scary part. Lifting the truck off the ground, Geoff sat back on his heels and looked over at the jack. He was supposed to put it against the frame next to the flat. Geoff peeked under the car and saw a good spot to put his jack. He grabbed the jack and positioned it under the frame. He didn’t realize Nialls was watching. 

From a few feet back, Nialls was piecing together what Geoff had to do to change the tire. It looked simple but it also looked time-consuming. And energy-consuming. There had to be an easier way to do it. He watched Geoff start to pump the tool. The truck slowly started to lift off the ground. It reminded him of when he saw Geoff use his magic.

Nialls almost choked on his inhale. Still sputtering, he called out to Geoff. Halfway through the second pump, Geoff stopped and looked back at Nialls. Through coughs, Nialls said, “Magic!”

“Magic?” Geoff called back.   
“Magic, peach fuzz, you have it!”

Geoff’s eyes widened at the realization. He immediately reversed the jack and got the car back on solid ground. The tire wheezed with the weight. Geoff twisted his fingers in a counterclockwise motion and all four lugnuts tightened back up. He got close to the tire again, searching for the hole. Not finding one, he tapped into his magic reserves. While still touching the tire, he felt the magic surge through his fingertips and into all the crevices of the tire, searching. It only took a few seconds to find the minuscule hole. His magic mended the tire together in a fraction of a second. Geoff focused on the interior of the tire next. Taking a deep breath he imagined air filling the tire, filling it back to a full and usable tire. Magic swirled around the tire then dissolved. The rubber expanded and filled back up. When he was done repairing the tire, Geoff fell back onto his butt. Nialls saw Geoff’s shoulders starting to shake up and down. Coming back over to him, he heard the sounds of growing laughter. Geoff threw his head back and laughed, his eyes meeting Nialls' directly above him.

“I can’t believe I fucking forgot I had magic,” he wheezed. He leaned his head against Nialls’ knees and laughed even harder. Nialls leaned down and ruffled Geoff’s hair. It was surprisingly soft to the touch. 

“I think I can feel the eye roll from Nameless in heaven,” Geoff said. His voice drifted off to a hum as Nialls kept running his hand through Geoff’s hair. Eventually, the sun became too hot and Nialls stopped. He helped Geoff to his feet. 

“Good thing you have me around. Otherwise you’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached,” Nialls teased. 

The two got back in the truck and started off again. The tire was as good as new. 

Day Two, 10:17 pm

It was another night stretched out under the stars. With two multi hour days under their belts, Geoff and Nialls had gotten almost to the Nevada/California state line. Nialls had convinced Geoff to save visiting the parks and monuments for the road trip back East. The dullahan had talked up the Redwood Forest, a part of the country he hadn't gotten to yet. Geoff, never having been in either California or a Redwoods forest, had been quickly swayed. Another long drive tomorrow, and the two would be in California. Much to Nialls’ delight, Geoff decided that was where they could spring for a motel. Beds were a favorite of Nialls, even if they were crappy second or third hand mattresses in cheap motel rooms. 

Nialls finished talking to Chicory. With no one around for miles and the cover of the night, Nialls had decided to allow Chicory back into horse form. She was beautiful in her natural state, all strong muscle under a black coat. He patted her on the neck and walked back to the truck. Geoff was lying face up on a large plaid blanket. His arms cushioned his head as he looked up at the stars. When he noticed Nialls staring at him, Geoff shimmed over and patted the space next to him. Mentally, Nialls firmly told his sex drive that tonight, there wasn’t going to be any funny business. Then he climbed up on the truck and took the spot next to Geoff. He had planned on leaning against the cabin of the truck so he could side eye Geoff the whole time but Geoff had different plans. He practically begged Nialls to lie down next to him and look at the stars. Sighing, Nialls obliged. He stretched out his entire six foot four frame and mirrored Geoff’s position. 

“Have you ever seen so many stars?” Geoff asked. “I mean, I get a lot at home, but I mean Jesus Christ this is a lot.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of them, peach fuzz.” 

“Know any constellations?” Geoff asked. “I can find just a few.”

Nialls stared up at the sky, searching for any of the constellations he knew. Most of them were ancient, lost to even moden Irish peoples. Knowing such lost knowledge always felt like holding an armful of secrets. It would be nice to say their names again. 

“Alright, listen up. Point your finger out straight,” Nialls ordered. Geoff pointed straight up. Nialls reached up and loosely grabbed Geoff’s wrist. He guided Geoff’s hand from one star to the next, tracing the outline of the constellation. When he was done, he said the name out loud in Gaelic and Geoff repeated it the best he could. This went on for as long as Nialls could find the old constellations. One he made up, calling it ‘Peach fuzz’ which got Geoff to laugh. He laughed so hard he couldn’t hold his hand up anymore and he rolled on his side into Nialls, tucking his head against Nialls’ arm, still laughing. When Geoff got a hold of himself, he seemed to realize where he was and rolled back to the starting position. Nialls felt the cold night air where Geoff had been. 

Still gazing at the stars, Geoff said, “It’s crazy to think we all met each other again. You, me, Mags, Nameless. Even the Day’s Landing crew.”

“It kind of felt like fate to me,” Nialls replied. 

“I mean, it’s hard to wrap my head around it all. Sometimes I get so lost in it all that I forget, most people don’t know about vampires and magic and evil beings. I mean, they do in the fictional way, but not like us,” Geoff continued, “I was just a farmer’s kid trying to figure out what to do and then all of a sudden, I had purpose. And now with that all done… I’m not sure of what to do again.”

Nialls shifted to be on his side so he could look at Geoff straight on. “You had that offer from the Weirdos.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s holding you up with that?”

Geoff’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. It would give me everything but it also comes with all that danger. I mean, that last fight almost went to shit. Any one of us could have died, permanently. I don’t know if I want to see something like that again.”

“Seeing people you lo-” Nialls cut himself off and tried again, “Seeing people you like kick it is the pits. There’s no way around it though. Happens to all mortals.”

Geoff scooted into a seated position and leaned back against the cabin of the truck.

“How many people that you’ve cared about… how many have you brought to the Other Side?” Geoff asked. His voice was almost lost in the wind it was so quiet.

Nialls took a moment to answer. His hand habitually twitched for a cigarette. If anyone else had asked that question, he would have told them to get lost. The barrier keeping that information private broke inside Nialls. 

“There was one. Her name was Polly.” he started. And then he couldn’t stop talking. Polly, his first mortal love. She had been the one he’d do anything for and did anything for. She’d loved him and he’d loved her. Nialls had fallen for her fiery smile, her bright red hair, her caring nature, and most importantly, the way she’d give him a run for his money. Then there were the countless nights they had spent together. Holding one another late at night. Sharing silly dreams of houses and youthful ways forever. But he couldn’t stop the pain. The starvation took her slowly, robbing her of her healthy glow and passion. She wasn’t the only one that suffered. Thousands of souls dying because of the Famine had kept the dullahan busy. When he came back to her, it was her time. Even as he talked about her now, in the present day, he was back years ago, holding her spirit in his hands as he guided her to the otherside, crying as he held her fading hand. She had been so at peace then but everything inside Nialls had been chaos. 

A hand resting on his own broke Nialls out of his trip to the past. There were tear tracks on his face. He wiped the wetness off with the back of his other hand. 

“I’m so sorry Nialls,” Geoff whispered. 

“Don’t be. It’s good to talk about her. It keeps her memory alive,” Nialls replied. Then the image of her face, twisted with confusion and sorrow, from the fight only days earlier, popped into his head. 

He growled, “I’m glad that son of a bitch Man on the Other Side is back where he belongs. Bringing her back to this world was a dirty move.”

“When was that?” Geoff asked. He didn’t remember seeing any woman fitting Polly’s description on the battlefield. 

“During the fight, did you not see her?” asked Nialls. 

“No, but there was fire everywhere so maybe I missed her in that.”

“Alright, now I would have remembered fire.”

“You didn’t…” Geoff trailed off. “Maybe it was a personal fear? I remember Reaper saying that thing was the epitome of fear…. That would make sense why Sawyer seemed like he was talking to himself.”

“Personal fear, huh,” Nialls mused. “Well, fuck that. I hope it was an illusion. I hope that creature didn’t actually pull her from eternal rest just to fuck with me.”

Geoff nodded. He remembered seeing the fire blazing around the fight. It had threatened to consume his friend, his dearest friend, and she had no idea. There was nothing he could do to stop it either. The fire had continued to grow hotter and hotter. Geoff had thought his skin was going to melt off. But then as soon as he thought it was over, the blaze had disappeared. It had never been there. 

“Probably was a really good illusion. I mean, I could smell smoke, I could feel heat. It was so real but probably an illusion,” Geoff said, mostly to himself. But Nialls caught it. He flipped his hand over so he could hold Geoff’s hand. 

“Whatever happened with you and fire, can’t hurt you anymore, a chuisle,” Nialls said. “You’re stronger than anything I know.” He brought Geoff’s hand up to his mouth and pressed a light kiss to the back of it. 

Geoff managed a smile as Nialls let go of his hand. Geoff slid back down into lying down. He stared up at the millions of stars. Knowing that somewhere, one of them was falling, no, soaring across the night sky, he made a wish.


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two loveable idiots make it to the motel. But what does that even mean when you're not sure about your feelings for one another? (Also A/N it is a short chapter but I think it's worth it!)

Day Three 10:59 pm

Geoff turned right into the parking lot of an older motel named Clam Beach Lodging. Nialls, who was smoking a cigarette out the window, sat up a little straighter as the truck pulled into a spot.

“Finally. We’ve been in this tin can for hours,” Nialls groaned. He put the cigarette out on the side of the door and dropped it.

“Shut up, this is my tin can, you know,” Geoff said without any heat behind it.

The dullahan was right; it had been a long drive. There were periods of comfortable silence, but those were wedged between banter, singing along to songs, and mocking radio hosts. Nialls had gotten a lot of rest too, which left Geoff feeling honored that the dullahan felt that comfortable with him. But now that tiring leg of the road trip was coming to a close. It was time to see a fraction of the West Coast for a few short days. 

Geoff’s truck was one of five others in the lot. Looking at the place, it wasn’t much. Just a squat front office off to the left and a long row of rooms to the right. Each room had a window and a rust colored door, peephole included. The other cars were spread out along the ten or so rooms. The vacancy sign was all the welcome Geoff needed to see. His eyes felt like they had lead weights attached to them. Geoff parked the car in the spot closest to the main office. He dug his wallet from his back pocket. He told Nialls he could keep smoking, he’d handle the room renting. 

Inside, the first thing anyone would notice was the seafoam green carpet. With every step Geoff took a puff of a scent very unlike seafoam hit his nose. The white stucco walls were more grey than white after years of greeting customers. A coffee table with a few magazines on it stood next to a drooping dark blue couch. Still ignoring the moldy smell, Geoff gave the woman behind the counter a weary smile. She had frizzy dyed red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her work shirt, a pale blue polo with the motel’s name stitched on it in the corner, was a size too big for her. She turned her attention away from the late night comedian on television and gave a half smile back to Geoff. They started to exchange pleasantries and the usual conversation about rooms and length of stay came up. 

“So that’ll be one or two rooms for a couple nights?” the woman asked. 

“Is there one room with two beds?” asked Geoff. 

“Sure, but it’ll cost ya seventy five bucks more.”

Geoff sighed. He could just eat dollar burritos until he got back home. As he stood there, tapping his credit card on the counter, the door behind him opened with a jingle. The woman behind the counter stood up a little straighter and her eyes widened. 

“I got bored waiting in the truck,” came the voice behind Geoff. 

Geoff snorted, “I was gone for, like, two seconds.”

Nialls elbowed his way up to the counter and leaned on it. He gave an award-winning smile to the woman. She blushed. 

“So, let me guess, my friend here is trying to figure out rooms, right?”

The woman nodded. 

“Well I can settle that for him. One room, one bed. Please and thank you, pretty lady.”

“Nialls,” Geoff groaned. 

“Don’t worry, peach fuzz, still only got eyes for you.”

“That’s really not what I meant.”

The woman behind the counter’s eyes flicked between the two like it was a tennis match. She opened a drawer and pulled out a key. “Number 7 is open? No one’s on either side if that helps.”

“You can tell he’s a loud one, can’t you?” Nialls sighed. 

It was Geoff’s turn to flush. He shoved his credit card across the wooden counter, refusing to make eye contact. “Sure, that’s fine.”

“I’ll need you to sign, sir,” the woman said. As Geoff scribbled his signature, Nialls elbowed him, adding, “Why don’t you call you me sir?”

“Because you’re an idiot,” Geoff muttered. He shoved his card back in his wallet, grabbed the receipt and the key from the woman, and headed for the door. Nialls followed, laughing. Geoff ignored him, instead going for the truck and digging for his bag in the back of the truck. He turned around to face Nialls. His sunglasses were pushed up on his head so Geoff could see the ghostly glow to his eyes. Just as Geoff was about to push past him, Nialls blocked him in, placing his hands on either side of him. Geoff looked up, unimpressed. 

“Hey, hey. I’m sorry for being an asshat,” Nialls said quietly. “I can’t help that I like seeing you blush.”

Geoff rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky you’re hot and I think it’s weirdly charming or I’d detach your head.”

“You think I’m hot stuff, huh, peach fuzz?” Nialls grinned.

“Barely,” Geoff lied. 

He ducked under Nialls' arm and wiggled free from that powerful stare. He locked the doors of his truck before heading towards their room. The key went in the hole and with a twist and a jiggle, the door opened. Inside was a large bed, covered with a dark green bedspread. Two nightstands flanked it, each one with a cheap faux wood lamp on top. The dresser across from the bed had an outdated tv complete with a VCR. The bathroom was straight ahead, the sink outside of the tiny room where the toilet and shower were hidden. Pressed up against the one window was a low couch that had seen better days. Geoff walked in, flipped on the lights and dropped his things off on the couch, taking a seat. It was weird how driving for hours on end made a person feel like getting up and stretching, but then five minutes later, all you want to do is take a nap. Or an incredibly long rest. 

Nialls threw his one bag into the room and closed the door behind him. Surveying the scene he whistled. “What a dump.”

Geoff wanted to protest this, but it was true. Nialls sat on the bed and resumed his stare at Geoff. But this time, all jokes had vanished.

“Hey, peach fuzz, if you were gonna go for two rooms and I fucked it all up, we can go back and fix it.”

Geoff stopped wrestling his shoe off his foot. “What?”

“I mean, that’s what it was about right? What I walked in on?”

“Sorta,” Geoff said, “But not really. I figured we’d stay together, I just didn’t know how many beds to, um, get.”

“Oh.”

“But this works out, you can take the bed and I can take this couch--”

Nialls interrupted, “Now hold up, I’m the one who crossed a line and I get the bed? Fuck no. I’m the one who doesn’t need to sleep, remember? You get the bed.”

“You didn’t cross the line,” Geoff corrected, “I’m just tired. And like I said, it’s a good thing you’re--”

“Hot, yeah I know,” Nialls cut him off again. “But that shouldn’t be an excuse. I can treat you a lot better because the last thing I want to do is make you feel like shit,” He paused, searching the room for words.   
He finally said, “Look, I just want to make sure you know that for all my assholery, I would never do anything to you, a chuisle. Not without your consent. That includes how many beds you want between us.”

Geoff smiled and shook his head, “Nialls, I wouldn’t have gone on this trip if I thought you were that much of an asshole. Besides, I can take your jokes, I did just defeat an evil dark creature. But, thanks, for you know, checking in.”

“So this means you don’t want to change rooms?”

“No, you jerk,” answered Geoff. Nialls grinned back at him and dug for his packet of cigarettes. He winced and smiled, “Nasty habit. I’ll quit someday.” 

Nialls quickly exited the room to the sounds of Geoff laughing. Geoff’s laugh was nice, it was deeper than his voice, which was already mellow enough. It was something that Nialls wanted to listen to again and again. He noticed his hands shaking as he flicked his lighter on. Geoff was really good at making Nialls jumpy lately. Nothing that the drag from the cigarette couldn’t fix. Since he was immortal, the actual act of smoking couldn’t affect him. It was the ritual of it all that he craved. It was the flicking of the lighter, it was watching the flame jump from metal to cigarette, and it was the deep drags that calmed him. It was only a bonus that it looked cool. When he was smoking, that was where he did all of his thinking. Mostly about all the ways he had fucked up. Somehow, he felt like he had dodged a bullet just now. His antics could have caused a real blow up with anyone else, but not Geoff. Geoff saw through his bullshit. And called him on it too, something Nialls definitely thought he could use more of. It’s why he and Mags were on good terms. As he continued to smoke, he made a promise. A promise that he’d really treat Geoff like he should be treated. Almost like you’re in a relationship, a nasty voice said in his head. 

“For a goddamned week,” Nialls reminded this voice. There was more than a touch of regret in his thoughts. If he could, he’d take Geoff with him to Ireland. But it was best not to indulge fantasies like he had the past few nights Geoff slept. It was becoming increasingly hard to ignore them. Nialls looked up towards the heavens, where he knew Nameless was probably seething as she watched her precious boy get into the worst shit he could. Nialls smiled and finished his cigarette.

“Don’t worry Sugar, I’ll take care of him,” Nialls said aloud to no one. A voice so quiet he almost missed it replied, “You better.” 

Smiling even bigger, he flicked his cigarette away from their door and went back inside. Geoff was scrunched up on the couch, arm over his eyes, already dozing. This was not going to stay this way. He walked over and scooped Geoff up in his arms. Geoff flailed, knocking Nialls' glasses off his head, but Nialls was determined. Luckily, it wasn’t a long trip to the bed. He dropped Geoff on the bed before he could do more damage. 

Geoff bounced twice, sputtering, “Nialls! What the hell?”

“Already told you peach fuzz,” Nialls said, sitting on the couch. “You aren’t sleeping on this piece of shit.”

“I had just gotten it comfortable,” he muttered. Knowing he was going to lose this battle, Geoff got under the covers. He leaned back against the marginally better mattress and the flat pillows. He rolled over to face Nialls. Nialls raised an eyebrow.

“Well if I can’t sleep on the couch, you can’t sit on it,” Geoff borderline pouted.

“That leaves me sitting on the crapper, peach fuzz,” laughed Nialls. 

Geoff chewed on his lower lip. “Or you could lay next to me.” 

The past two nights Geoff had been able to go right to sleep next to Nialls. He probably could do it without him, he would have to figure something out once he was gone, but for right now, he could indulge. 

Nialls rubbed the back of his head, ducking it for a minute, before answering. “Sure thing peach fuzz. I’d love to.”

He climbed into the bed, surprised that it was actually long enough to accommodate him. He’d have to find the name of the night clerk and make sure she got extra money. Nialls got himself comfortable against the headboard and decided to close his own eyes. Sometimes, it was nice to pretend to be a mortal. He suddenly felt a weight on his hip. Geoff had snuggled up to him. Going slow and careful, Nialls made his way under the covers and onto his back. He moved Geoff’s head onto his chest, where his immortal heart beat. Geoff flung an arm over Nialls’ torso and sighed, already half-asleep. Nialls let himself play with Geoff’s soft hair again. He tried to immortalize the feeling into his memory banks. It was so easy to be like this with Geoff. To be so open and caring. Nialls soaked it all in and waited for morning to come.


	4. Day Four Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got carried away with this part of the story...it's so large I had to split this into two parts! But that just means another week of waiting for you all! Enjoy some quality bonding~* between these two! Beach scenes, ocean scenes, shower scenes?? Read on!

Day Four 10:26 am

Geoff woke up to the sound of a shower running. He rolled on his back, blinking blearily. The white popcorn textured ceiling came in and out of his focus with each blink. He heard faint singing come from the shower. Rolling up to a seated position, Geoff swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up. He practically tip-toed over the bathroom door and listened to Nialls sing. Whatever it was, it wasn’t in English. The words climbed up and down peaks and valleys, just like Nialls' voice did when he spoke Gaelic. The shower turned off. Geoff backpedaled and nearly hit the wall. He lept over to the bed and pulled the covers back over him just as the door opened. Geoff feigned a stretch and greeted the dullahan. 

“Morning, Nialls,” he said. 

“Can’t quite hear ya, peach fuzz,” came the slightly distant reply. Geoff watched as the headless body of Nialls came around the corner. He was naked save for a towel held up around his midriff with one hand. Underneath all that biker clothes was a chiseled body. Arms, abs, shoulders, you named it and it was toned and muscular. Geoff blushed at the sight. The body bumped into the bed knee first. When it did it again, Geoff used his magic to lift Nialls' bag up from the floor and closer to Nialls' torso. Nialls' one hand patted around until it found the black leather bag before it. Geoff leaned forward and helped unzip it, since the other hand was busy keeping Nialls' modesty in check. Quite honestly, Geoff was surprised he hadn’t come out fully nude. Blushing at the thought, Geoff helped the torso grab jeans and a white t-shirt out of the bag. Nialls' trademark leather jacket was flung over the back of the couch. 

With the clothes in his hand, Nialls' torso headed back into the bathroom. It didn’t close the door behind him. Geoff quickly leaned back against the headboard so he wouldn’t see Nialls getting dressed. He started to think about anything and everything, like his grandmother’s pumpkin pie recipe. A moment later, Nialls appeared fully clothed, head under his arm, and sunglasses off. 

“Sorry, what was that peach fuzz?” Nialls asked.

“Oh, nothing, just good morning. I didn’t realize you were headless,” Geoff said. 

Nialls' free arm patted his stump. “Yeah, sometimes gotta air her out, ya know?”

Geoff nodded along like that was the most normal thing in the world. 

“Shower’s free, though,” Nialls said as he hopped on the bed next to Geoff.

He found the remote on the bedside table and flicked the television on. Geoff went over to his things, grabbed what he needed, and went into the bathroom, leaving Nialls to watch Good Morning America. Once inside the bathroom, Geoff took a deep breath in and let it out as quiet as he could. That was quite a sight to wake up to. He turned the shower on to a medium heat. For the price of the room, Geoff expected a trickle but it was a full, healthy blast of water. Undressing quickly, he stepped in and enjoyed the feel of clean water hitting his skin. Geoff had lost track of when his last good shower was. He definitely had gotten used to bathroom rest stop showers of slapping water on his face, neck, and armpits, scrubbing those with bars of soap, and then washing it all clean in about the span of five minutes. To actually have the time to lather up his hair with shampoo and conditioner was a gift. Halfway through washing his body, Geoff started to wonder what it would be like if Nialls was in the shower too. Those strong hands guiding soap across Geoff’s lanky body. Getting lost in those cool blue eyes as Nialls massaged Geoff’s shoulders and then worked his way lower. At that, Geoff slammed his hand on the cold nozzle of the shower and turned it on full blast. The water temperature plummeted. The cold washed away all of the dirty thoughts forming in Geoff’s mind and how his body had started to react. He stood under the spray until he could barely stand it anymore. He turned off the shower and composed himself. Everything was fine. Nialls wasn’t a mind reader and no one ever had to know what he had thought. It was between him and the Lord, as his mother put it. 

Geoff got dried off and got dressed as quickly as he could manage. The cold shower still had him shivering when he went out to brush his teeth at the sink. Nialls, head back on, was stretched out on the bed, absorbed in the television. He had since flipped it to an early morning wildlife show about the safari. When Geoff came back into the main room Nialls noticed the slight shiver. 

“Shit, did I really take up all the hot water?” Nialls asked.

Geoff smiled and shrugged, “Must have,” he lied, “It’s fine. That’s what I get for sleeping in so late.”

“You’ve been driving for three days straight. I think you’ve earned your beauty rest, a chuisle,” Nialls said, “Besides, what do we got planned for today anyways?”

Geoff took a seat at the edge of the bed. “Well, I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean. There’s a park not that far away with beach access. I was thinking we could do something like that?”

“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Nialls. “But hate to say it, don’t think I’ll be swimming anywhere unless it’s a nudie beach cause I don’t have any trunks.”  
Geoff laughed, trying to contain his blush at the mental image of Nialls at a nude beach. “Neither do I, but I have some extra gym shorts.”

“Gym shorts?”

“Yeah, I don’t normally pass out in my jeans, Nialls,” Geoff explained. 

Geoff dug out the two shorts from the bottom of his duffel bag. He gave the longer pair to Nialls, urging him to go try it on. Nialls got up with a grumble but went to the bathroom to change. Geoff wiggled out of his jeans and slid into his basketball shorts just as Nialls walked out of the bathroom. Normally, the shorts hit Geoff closer to the knee. On the taller Nialls, they showed off a lot of leg, cutting off at mid thigh. Nialls tugged them down a bit but turned to the mirror, admiring himself. 

“Damn, I don’t look half bad in these, peach fuzz.”

Geoff swallowed, “Yeah, glad they fit.” He quickly scooped up his discarded jeans and shoved them into his bag. Mostly he needed something else to do besides staring at Nialls. 

“So I’m thinking we hit up a local diner, get some stuff for lunch, and spend the day at the beach? If we get bored or something we can figure something else out, I just want to see the beach for like a couple of minutes.”

“A chuisle, we can stay there all day. It really doesn’t matter,” Nialls said. He went over to Geoff and gave him a sweet kiss on the mouth. “It’s cool as long as we’re together.”

“Okay,” Geoff said. He was a bit dazed from that show of affection. “Let me grab the extra motel towels and then let me dump out my stuff, we can use my duffel bag to carry things.”

After a few minutes of gathering things, unpacking things, and repacking things, they were ready to go. Outside it was sunny and bright. A few clouds meandered across the sky. Feeling the heat, Nialls ditched his leather jacket and instead opted to tie a black bandana around his neck, leaving the longer part in the front. The parking lot of the motel was empty besides Geoff’s truck and a red beater car near the motel office. The smell of the not too far away ocean wafted in the slight breeze. Geoff was about to throw his bag into the back of the truck, when Nialls grabbed his arm. 

“Want a ride on Chicory?” he asked. “I think this hunk of junk earned a break, don’t you?”

Geoff fumbled for words, “Uh, sure, yeah that’d be awesome.”

Nialls smiled and dropped the tailgate down. He glanced around the parking lot before whistling. Chicory briefly turned into a horse so she could turn around and jumped off the back of the truck. As soon as she hit the ground, she turned back into the familiar bike. Nialls took an extra helmet out of the back bags and handed it to Geoff. 

“Safety first,” he said. He then grabbed Geoff’s bags and strapped it to the side of Chicory. 

Geoff found that helmet fit him just right as he strapped it under his chin. Nialls flipped the tailgate back up and mounted his bike. He grabbed his own helmet and popped it on. 

It was a sleek black helmet with a visor over the eyes. Turning back to look at Geoff, his muffled voice said, “Hop on and hang on.”

Nialls revved the engine and Chicory rumbled deep. Geoff sat and wrapped his arms around Nialls as the bike started forward. It was a lot smoother of a ride than Geoff ever anticipated. The bike practically glided across the parking lot. Nialls turned onto the main road. They drove only ten minutes down the road closer to where the park with beach access was. A small roadside diner with outside seating seemed like the right place for Geoff, Nialls thought. He steered Chicory in the last parking spot in the small, ten-person lot, much to the annoyance of an approaching minivan. Nialls resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the pissed off middle aged man behind the wheel. As Nialls took his helmet off, the van drove away. Geoff let go of Nialls’ waist and did the same. 

He stumbled off the bike, but Nialls was there to steady him. He winked at him before putting on his shades, saying, “It takes awhile to get used to.”

Geoff nodded, putting his helmet on the seat of the bike. His stomach growled and much to his embarrassment, Nialls heard. Nialls wrapped his arm around Geoff’s shoulders and started to steer them towards the window. 

“Let’s get you some food, peach fuzz.”

The diner was much like an ice cream stand. There was no inside seating, just outside picnic tables. Under the white awning were three windows where guests could order. Painted on wooden signs nailed above the windows was the menu. It was typical Americana fare: burgers, fries, hot dogs, ice cream, and the like. Breakfast was even simpler with combinations of waffles, pancakes, french toast with a protein. Coffee could be iced or hot and there were a million soda and juice options. And the prices couldn’t be beat. Geoff stepped up and placed his order while Nialls snuck in an order of iced coffee, which Geoff didn’t mind. Nialls swatted Geoff’s hand and pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill. He handed it over to the teenager behind the counter. 

“Breakfast is my treat,” Nialls said. 

He took the change and their order number and followed Geoff to the furthest picnic table. It had a cheery umbrella sticking out of the middle, providing some shade from the hot sun. Geoff sat down on one side and Nialls sat across. A heavy boot lightly tapped on Geoff’s shoe as they waited for the food. Geoff stretched his hand out. Nialls took it in his hand. He slid his shades down over his eyes and looked at the other people around them. There were several families, each with a couple of kids in tow. There were a few couples too, one older pair, the others closer to Geoff’s age. One of the couples was sharing an early morning milkshake, two straws, one for each woman. One of the women said something the other woman found incredibly funny. She nearly spat out her milkshake. Nialls let himself imagine a lifetime of that, of being close to someone and never having to let go. 

“What’re you thinking about?” Geoff asked. His thumb gently moved across Nialls' hand. 

Nialls stopped staring at the couple, faking a smile as he said, “Nothing, a chuisle.”

A door off to the side of the restaurant opened. Out came a middle aged woman with a paper basket of food in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. She searched the tables with a hand over her eyes. She spotted the number on Geoff and Nialls' table and headed over. She set the basket of french toast and bacon down in front of Geoff and the sweating iced coffee in front of Nialls. With a practiced smile, she whipped out plastic utensils and a few packets of butter and syrup from an apron pocket. 

“Anything else I can get you two boys?” she asked. Her voice was as rough as sandpaper. 

“No, thanks ma’am,” Geoff replied. She smiled again before heading off back to the diner. 

Golden triangles of perfectly grilled french toast waited next to strips of greasy bacon in the basket. He offered a piece of bacon to Nialls. The dullahan leaned forward and grabbed a bite. Greasy food, Geoff had discovered, was something Nialls would always at least take a bite of. Nialls alternated sipping his coffee and taking bites of bacon from Geoff. Geoff purposefully ate slowly just to enjoy the moments with Nialls. 

As he took another bite, he saw Nialls glancing back at the young couple sharing a milkshake. Nialls looked back at Geoff and asked, “Ever share a milkshake with someone?”

“Me? Not that I can think of.”

“Hm. What about beds?”

Geoff smirked, “Well there’s this one guy…” Nialls straightened up, “His head comes off and he wears a lot of leather.”

Nialls internally let out a sigh of relief. “So, no one besides this incredibly attractive sounding man?”

Laughing, Geoff shook his head, “I think if me and Aria continued we would have gotten there.”

Nialls tried not to frown, settling on a neutral expression instead as Geoff went on. 

“Aria was my girlfriend in college. She was an art history major, I think we met at some campus event. Anyways, she asked me out and I thought sure.” 

Geoff explained. “She was nice, probably just as shy as I was about it all.”

“What happened?”

Geoff shrugged. “It was just not working. She had a lot of work, I was still figuring out magic, and it just kinda was mutual.”

“But after that there had to be others?”

Shaking his head, Geoff said, “No, not really. Sure maybe at a party or something there was a girl who wanted to make out but nothing steady like Aria.”

“Well I can see why people wanted to make out with you all the time, peach fuzz,” Nialls said with a smile. Geoff blushed and choked down the piece of bacon he was eating. 

“Alright, what about you Mr. Tall, Dark, and Spooky,” Geoff managed. “You probably have had hundreds of humans lined up.”

Nialls ducked his head for a moment. He traced his finger in the water ring left by his cup. “Nah. No humans since Polly.”

Geoff’s eyes widened. Polly was at least a hundred years ago. Geoff started to apologize but Nialls waved him off before grabbing his hand. “Sure, there’s been some hook-ups here and there. Just not with human folk. Losing Polly just really made me lose my connection to humans for a bit.”

“What made you come back around?”

Nialls thought about it. He sucked down the rest of his drink. Geoff waited, even squeezing Nialls' hand once for comfort. Nialls squeezed back.

“I think it was just seeing Boss Man collect more souls than he should have. Seeing my kind abusing human souls just really drove me away from what I thought I knew. So I left and came here, to America and started to see only humans everywhere. I still don’t get you mortals, like jean shorts? C’mon. And daytime talk shows? Really boring.”

Geoff laughed before asking, “Meet any cool mortals yet?”

“Sunshine.” 

“That’s it, Mags?”

Nialls grinned, “Yeah, it’s a short list.”

“Where the hell do I fall?” Geoff teased. 

Nialls caught himself. He wanted to say “Like Polly”, but instead said, “Undecided.”

Geoff threw a crumpled up napkin at his head. “Whatever, Nialls,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “Let’s hit the store for a few things and go to the beach. See if I save you if a shark wants a nibble.”

Nialls took a moment to watch Geoff walk off towards the trash can. Geoff wouldn’t know it, but Nialls loved to watch him do little things. Little things that showed off how attractive he was. Like when he stretched and a bit of his torso showed. Or when he walked and Nialls got a good view of the slight sway of his hips and the way Geoff’s pants made his ass look. They hadn’t done anything since the first night’s make out session. A brief kiss here or there and they were practically wrapped in each other’s arms at night but nothing else. Nialls wanted to do more but the thought of breaking the fragile thing that they had frightened him more than anything. That and the growing feelings inside, growing like a vine that was wrapped around his heart. He hadn’t felt this way since Polly. And it scared him. 

Geoff calling out to him broke Nialls from his thoughts.

“C’mon, Nialls!”

Nialls pitched his coffee cup and headed towards the human that was driving him crazy. They had to drive back towards the motel to find a small grocery store. There, Geoff picked up some cheap snacks, some sandwich supplies, and a tube of sunscreen. Nialls teased him about it but Geoff, as usual, laughed it off. When Geoff packed the newly bought items in the bag, he whispered a spell of cold over the perishables. Before his eyes, ice formed around the lunch meats and stayed that way even as Geoff held it up to the sun. He put the frozen food off to the side and hopped back on the bike. After the first ride, he had gotten better at jumping on and off. The two headed back to the diner and about ten minutes farther down the road, there was a public parking lot for the park. Nialls pulled into the last spot and kicked the stand down. He helped Geoff off and grabbed the duffel bag full of towels, food, and a bottle of sunscreen. Geoff was practically squirming with excitement, like a little kid at the movies. 

As soon as they climbed over the little dunes, the Pacific Ocean awaited. The beach was mostly clear of people; a few families were set up here and there as were other couples and a few solo adventurers. Getting away from the small crowds, Geoff and Nialls headed further south on the beach. The warm sand kicked up by their feet and soon coated the backs of their legs. The two decided on a spot just before a magnificently large rock. It was easily as tall as a two story house and about as wide as one too. Nialls dropped the bag in the sand and Geoff unrolled the two motel beach towels. He grabbed the bottle of sunscreen and started to apply. He offered some to Nialls but the dullahan shook his head. 

“Don’t have to worry about skin cancer, peach fuzz. Immortality has its perks.”

“Wish I were you then,” Geoff muttered. He held out the sunscreen asking, “Can you get my back, I won’t be able to reach it.” 

He pulled off his t-shirt and waited for Nialls. Nialls got the job done as quickly as he could, the whole time thinking of his boss in lingerie to keep any other thoughts at bay. When he was done, Geoff thanked him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nialls mumbled. He threw the bottle back into the bag. Geoff put his hands on his hips and just stared out at the water. It was a beautiful deep blue. Waves crashed into the shore and against some larger rocks further out in the surf. Most people were sunbathing; only a few dared get into the water. Geoff didn’t let that deter him. He’d just faced off with death last week. He wanted to say he swam in the Pacific Ocean and he was going to do it. But not by himself. He looked back at Nialls who was staring at him. 

“Let’s get in!”, Geoff said, pointing towards the water. 

Nialls took one step forward but then stopped. For the first time, he looked unsure of himself. He glanced at the far off beach goers then pointed at his neck. 

“Would love to peach fuzz, but this thing’s gonna go flying if one wave hits me the wrong way.”

Geoff frowned. He looked off for a moment, his hand under his chin, thinking of a solution. He dropped his hand to his side and walked forward. He reached up behind Nialls' neck and grabbed the ends of the bandana. Nialls raised his eyebrows and frowned. Geoff smiled again, adding, “Just let me try something.”

And Nialls let Geoff take off the bandanna. He stayed still even as he felt his head wobble in the breeze. But then Geoff’s hands were there bracing his neck. Nialls felt a warm sensation and then something that felt akin to stretching glue between his fingers but it was on his neck instead. Then what could only be described as solidness. Geoff stepped back and his smile grew wider. Chuckling to himself, he said, “Holy shit, it worked.”

Nialls slowly turned his head to the left, bracing for the moment his head would detach and go rolling in the sand. But it didn’t come. He stepped forward and backwards, even jerked his head back abruptly and still his head stayed on. Nialls dragged his hands from the nape to the front feeling the smooth connection of skin, muscle, and bone. He never had felt this connected. 

“It won’t last forever, just a little bit,” Geoff explained, “I just thought it could help you relax and not worry about it for a little while. I can totally reverse it if that was out of line, that was out of line, wasn’t it?” he rambled. He would have kept rambling if Nialls didn’t step forward. He picked Geoff up and kissed him. 

“A chuisle, you are fucking incredible,” Nialls whispered. Geoff ducked his head, blushing. He shrugged as Nialls placed him back on his feet.  
“I would do anything for you,” he said. Geoff’s eyes widened immediately after saying that. 

He looked ready to apologize but Nialls grabbed his hands. “Same, peach fuzz. Same.”

They stood there, looking at one another for a few moments longer. The breeze tossed Geoff’s shaggy brown hair in front of his eyes and the sunglasses hid the true emotion Nialls felt. Breaking the silence between them, Nialls took his shades off and followed with his t-shirt. He chucked both behind him and stared out at the crashing waves. Geoff turned too and with a laugh called over his shoulder, “Race ya!”

And he was off, sand spraying back into Nialls' shins. Laughing too, Nialls raced after Geoff. It was amazing how fast he felt out of his normal biking attire. Shorts and no shirt was a freeing sensation. He still couldn’t get over the fact his head was firmly attached to his torso; that pushed him faster and he caught up with Geoff right as his feet touched the waves. The water was cold, almost too cold to bear but that didn’t stop Geoff. He plunged in further, dashing up to his waist. He looked back at Nialls, winked, and dove into an incoming wave. Nialls watched him pop up on the other side before joining him. He dove into the next wave, the cold rushing around him, the water embracing him like an old friend and he instinctively swam up to the surface. He popped up next to Geoff, who had his eyes closed. Seeing a slight glow in the water, Nialls knew he was casting magic. Slowly, the water temperature around them got warmer. 

Geoff opened his eyes and sighed, “A little better, yeah?”

“Totally. Seeing you with your shirt off is a much better sight.”

Geoff laughed, “Sure, okay. Says the one with an actual six-pack. I think I may have one ab and it's called my stomach!”

Nialls grabbed Geoff and dragged him closer to him. Geoff wrapped his legs around Nialls' torso and rested his arms around Nialls' brown shoulders. Nialls leaned forward and whispered, “You know I think you’re hot stuff the way you are, right?”

Geoff placed his forehead against Nialls'. “That’s crazy. I’m just me.”

“Exactly,” Nialls said. “What drives me crazy.” The dullahan kissed him on the mouth, then moved to his neck, then finally, kissed him on the shoulder. 

Geoff gasped when Nialls added the pressure of a bite to that one. 

Nialls grinned back up at him, “Peach fuzz, no one can see us out here.”

“Well, what about that person over there?” Geoff whispered, pointing behind Nialls. Nialls turned, ready to mock the person gawking but instead felt a strong pressure on his own neck. Geoff pulled back, grinning as Nialls looked at him. 

“Gotcha,” Geoff said. 

Nialls took this as a challenge. He kissed Geoff roughly on the mouth before moving to his collarbone again. The two took turns attacking each other with their mouths as their weapons. Only swells could break them apart and only for a moment. Nialls lost his footing a few times and the two plunged beneath the waves. Each time they broke the surface Geoff would just laugh and attack again. Eventually, both covered in bruises, they stopped and just let the waves push and pull against them. Geoff gently pushed away from Nialls and disappeared under the water. When he appeared again, he floated on his back. Nialls ghosted his hands underneath Geoff’s back, ready to catch him if he sank. 

As they let the cool water rock them, Geoff said, “I should work on water magic next.”

“It’ll help put out any fires you start,” Nialls jokes. 

Geoff sighed, “Yeah, exactly.”

Immediately, Nialls regretted what he said. He apologized and Geoff waved him off. 

“But it’s true. It would give me some peace of mind.”

“What happened with the fire?” Nialls asked, his voice soft. 

Geoff let his feet drop back down to the ocean floor. He felt Nialls' hands run up and down his back. It was comforting. Geoff took a deep breath. 

“It was my first time using magic so I was like, maybe fourteen, thirteen? I was fooling around after school, wandering through the woods but then it started snowing really bad. I kind of got lost and I was cold and I just thought if there was a way to warm myself up, I could be alright. And then fire just exploded out of me and before I knew it, the trees were on fire and so was everything else and I couldn’t get it to stop,” a tear hit the salty water beneath him. Nialls cupped his face, waiting for him to go on. 

“I ended up running away and the fire department had to put out the forest fire. No one ever found it was me or anything but that feeling of being out of control still haunts me. And even though I use it all the time, fire scares me shitless,” Geoff bit his lip adding, “It was why I saw it during our last fight against evil. There was just fire everywhere, consuming everything. And I couldn’t stop it from taking Nameless.” Geoff looked off to the side and couldn’t find the courage to continue. Nialls pressed a kiss to his cheek and brought him closer. 

Nialls said, “I’ll say it till I’m blue in the face, a chuisle, but you are not your fears. So fuck them.”

Geoff looked back at Nialls, half smiled, and knocked his forehead against his. “Thanks, Nialls.”

Soon after, Geoff’s spell wore off and the chill of the Pacific hit them full force. Laughing and racing each other out of the water, Geoff and Nialls stumbled onto the beach, never too far apart from each other. They walked up to the towels and dropped into the sand. The surprisingly clear and cloudless day had continued into the afternoon. The sun warmed the two and quickly dried them off. Just to be safe, Nialls secured the bandana around his neck. He grabbed his sunglasses to put on, but decided against it and placed them over Geoff’s closed eyes. 

“Peach fuzz, you should eat.”

“I will, I will,” Geoff sighed. “What’s it like not to have to worry about stupid things like that?”

Nialls wasn’t sure how to answer that. He searched the bag to find the lunch meat still in blocks of ice that were now melting. As he dragged the bread and condiments out he finally found an answer. “Think of it this way, I never had to feel hunger or thirst so I’m not sure what it would be like to actually feel it. Just like you’ve always felt when you’re hungry. It would be hard to explain what it feels like not to have that.”

“Makes sense,” replied Geoff. 

“But I definitely heard your stomach growl while we were out there,” Nialls said. 

He grabbed two slices of bread, placing one on each knee, also being careful not to get sand on them. He shook out some mustard and mayo from the little packets Geoff bought. Not having a knife, Nialls did his best to evenly distribute the condiments on the bread. Geoff got up on his elbows and pushed the sunglasses up on his forehead. 

“Are you making my sandwich?”

“Sure ain’t making it for me,” Nialls laughed. He held up the block of ice. Geoff waved his hand and the ice disappeared. Instead of ice in his hand it was a container of lunch meat. 

Nialls nodded his thanks and put a hearty amount of lunch meat on the sandwich. He smacked the top bread slice on the lunch meat and presented it to Geoff. 

“There. Eat up.”

Geoff took the sandwich. The two sat, soaking in the sun, one enjoying a sandwich and the other enjoying the company. Seagulls cried above their heads, some of their cries getting lost in the crash of the waves on the beach. Some of the families further down had left but a few more came, this time with more children. Their screams of delight drifted up and down the beach. Geoff took a long drink of water from the large bottle he had bought and searched for more snacks. The sandwich could not fill his stomach alone. Nialls was back to staring off at the ocean, a small smile on his face. Not ready to disturb him, Geoff ate his food in the comfortable silence between them. It was when Geoff went to reapply sunscreen that Nialls started talking.

“You know, there was this one time, down in Mexico where I swear I had a ghost hitchhiker,” Nialls said. 

“Really?”

“No shit, peach fuzz,” Nialls replied. “Have you ever heard of La Llorona?”

Geoff thought for a moment and shook his head. Nialls took the sunscreen and motioned for Geoff to sit in front of him. By this time, the sunscreen was a lot warmer than the first application. 

Nialls started talking as he applied, “Well, they’re this type of restless spirit that wanders around the countryside at night. Legend goes they killed their children, drowned them or something, and then did it to themselves, out of remorse, you know?”

Geoff said, “So they wander endlessly for their sin?”

“Exactly. Anyways, I swear I had one of those chicks on the back of my bike.”

“How did that happen?”Geoff asked, “Oh, wait, let me guess you hit on her?”

Nialls leaned back and laughed. Shaking his head, he said, “No, peach fuzz. Ghosts don’t really do it for me. I was riding Chicory, it was real late at night. And down there, where I was, we were talking rural Mexico so it was plenty dark. Only the stars were out and they weren’t a damn lot of help. But I’m riding and riding and my headlight catches this outline of a woman and I realize that it is a woman.”

“At this point in the drive, I’m lost. Like I said, stars aren’t the best signposts if you don’t know how to read them. I can find old constellations but guiding by them is a bit lost on me. So I figure when this lady appears she must be a local and must know the way. I ask her for directions and I can give her a ride home. She agrees, tells me how to get back on the highway and she hops on.”

“Did she feel real?” Geoff interrupted. Nialls nodded. 

“Yeah, felt as real as you do now,” he answered, “She was quiet and I thought I heard a sniffle or two but didn’t think much of it. I’m about halfway to the main highway when all of sudden I don’t feel anything holding on to my back. I jerk Chicory off to the side of the road, almost into a shit ton of cactuses but we get off okay, and park it. I looked around for her, up and down that road for like a half hour. There was no trace of her.” 

“Holy shit,” Geoff said. He looked back at Nialls, trying to gauge if the dullahan was telling the truth. His blue eyes were gentle and happy, his mouth in a trademark smith, but there wasn’t anything to say he wasn’t telling the truth. “That all happened?”

“Of course it did!” Nialls yelled, “Everything I say is the truth. Just sometimes it’s padded with a few tall tales.”

Geoff rolled his eyes and turned back to the ocean. He rested his chin on his knees and watched. He was used to the East Coast. He’d been to the Atlantic once when he was little but never even thought he’d ever see the Pacific, let alone the Southwest or any of the places he’d been the past few months. He had thought after college he’d just get a boring office job as the IT guy or something and fall into suburban bliss or boredom. He’d watch his siblings grow up and graduate. Watch his parents retire from the family farm. Geoff knew he could still do those things, at least some of them. But he’d never be able to explain his magic or his adventures to his family. Especially not if he worked with the Big Five. It’s not easy to explain a mismatched group of paranormal hunters each specializing with their own field to a regular hunter, let alone a group of ‘normal’ people. Tired of thinking of what the future held, Geoff stood up and offered his hand to Nialls.

“Want to look for shells with me?” he asked. 

Nialls took the hand and hefted himself to his feet. He took the sunglasses of Geoff’s head and placed them on his own. “Sure thing, peach fuzz.”

The two walked down to the sea’s edge, eye firmly on the ground. Geoff was looking for good shells to send home to his parents and siblings. Nialls was fighting the urge to hold Geoff’s hand some more. It had felt so grounding. But that was something couples did, not whatever Geoff and Nialls were. Week long no strings attached escapade, drifted in Nialls' head. He just balled his hands and continued walking next to Geoff. Every few feet, Geoff would stop, pick up a few shells and examine them closely. Most of them went back into the wet sand. A few made the cut and he’d pocket them. Nialls stubbed his toe on a large, broken conch. He swore and kicked the thing into the waves. Geoff laughed but blew a kiss at the stubbed toe. 

“What’s that for?”

“Oh you know, kiss to make it feel better? Since you’re a child,” Geoff teased. 

Nialls raised his eyebrow. He grabbed Geoff around the waist and spun in a circle, threatening to drop him back in the ocean. Geoff dropped the shell he was looking at and playfully smacked Nialls' arms until he let go. Shaking his head at the antics, Geoff smiled the rest of the time they walked, looking for a shell to give to Nialls. By the time they got back to their towels, the sunscreen had dried on Geoff and both of them were baked by the sun. Geoff gave Nialls another boost with magic before the two headed back in the waves. This time in the ocean they competed in body surfing the waves into the sand. After an hour of that, both had sand burned shins, tiny shells in every crack and crevice, and dried salt clinging to their skin. Stumbling out of the waves, they dropped onto the warm towels. 

“Wanna head back? Change, find some grub?” Nialls asked. He checked his phone and saw that it was almost four in the afternoon. He had subconsciously tracked how long it was between meals for Geoff. Time was never an issue with him, just something that got in the way. But hanging with mortals made old habits surface. And Geoff needed more food anyway. It seemed like something Nameless would be doing, so Nialls figured it couldn’t be that bad if an angel had a feeding schedule for a mortal companion. 

“Yeah, sure,” Geoff said. He pulled his t-shirt over his head. Even though he had layered the sunscreen on, he could feel how hot the tops of his shoulders were. A burn would probably be there that evening. Geoff bunched up his towel and threw it in the bag while saying, “We could grab some beer and find a really dumb show to watch. Or, we could even, I dunno, find a dive bar and go out.” 

“Seriously?” Nialls asked. He lowered his shades down the bridge of his nose. “Cause I’m sure I can drink you under the table, peach fuzz.”

Geoff scoffed, “Says who?”

“Says the Irish immortal, that’s who,” Nialls laughed. He shoved his towel into the bag. He slung the t-shirt over his shoulder like he was some sort of model on the runway. 

Geoff zipped the bag and stood. “Challenge accepted.”

“You don’t know what you’re signing up for, peach fuzz.”

He only grinned, “Maybe lots of embarrassment. Perhaps lots of fun. Or maybe I might just win.”


	5. Day Four Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other half of Day Four. At least two characters are getting very drunk in this chapter and I can only imagine how they are getting home... or do they?

Day Four 6:15 pm

Just by riding around, Nialls had found the perfect location for the night’s festivities. It was a hole in the wall bar, around the corner from a souvenir shop and was flanked by a parking lot on the left and a barber’s shop on the right. When they pulled in, there were about five cars in the lot besides them. Give or take one or two cars for the workers, Nialls had figured it would be a good place for a mortal passing immortal to take his date for the night. Once they stepped inside, Nialls and Geoff shared a look of agreement. This bar would be perfect. 

A pool table stood off to the immediate left, which was where most of the ‘crowd’ was. The bar started a few feet back from the pool table and went all the way to the end. About ten bar stools stood guard in front of the bar. Behind it, it was a classic set-up: shelves of boozes, mixers, and glasses against a mirror wall. Across from the bar were some booths and well worn tables. Everything was wooden and stained a dark color. Various memorabilia was stuck everywhere at random, adding to the dive vibe. A small tv was stuck up in the corner close to the pool table. The local news station was on but the sound was muted. Classic rock fuzzily issued out from hidden speakers.   
A bored looking woman stood typing something into her phone. Her bleached blonde hair was slicked back into a ponytail and large, probably too large to be real, diamonds hung in her ears. As Nialls and Geoff took the last two seats at the bar, the ones the furthest away from the door, she looked up. Brushing her waist apron flat against her jeans, she headed towards them. A small smile appeared. She looked young that was playing older. 

“Hey there fellas,” she said. Her voice much too quiet for a dive bar bartender. “What can I get you? Food menus?”

“Please, that would be great,” Geoff replied. She produced two from under the bar and slid them across. She rattled off a list of beers and put another small menu in front of them. 

“There’s some specials but I can pretty much make anything. If you have something I don’t know, just tell me the steps and I’ll fix it up,” she added. “Take your time and wave me down.” 

Nialls placed his elbows on the bar and leaned forward. He glanced over at Geoff, already smirking like he’d won. “So, you ready to do this peach fuzz?”

“Like I said before we left, hell yeah,” he replied. “But I do want food first. Besides, we’re going to be here a while.”

Nialls peered at the menu over his shades. “Order something with french fries and I’d love you forever.”

“Done,” Geoff smiled. He scanned the options. It was a small menu of Americana classics. Fried foods in all forms like fish or fries or chicken, a range of some burger options, and a few weird items like wraps and a very plain sounding salad. He needed something that could soak up some alcohol so he opted for his trusty sidekick, a burger with cheese. After they flagged down the waitress and placed the food, Nialls quickly slid in an order of two beers. 

“What kind?” the woman asked. 

“Guinness?”

“Sure, let me get you those,” she replied. “And I’ll get Rodger started on your food. Be about 20 minutes or so.”

Geoff nodded and she went to start the drinks. He watched her pour the dark beverage into two wide mouth glasses. When she was done pouring, she came back and placed them in front of them. Nialls grabbed his and took a healthy drink from it. Two more patrons walked into the bar; shouts of greeting came from the pool playing group. Geoff tried to take a deep swig from his, just to match Nialls, but found the taste to be overwhelmingly strong for a large gulp. He was able to hide his discomfort fairly well but noted to himself to take small swigs of this particular beer. 

“So, did we ever figure out what we win?” Geoff asked.

“Win for…?”

“This bet,” Geoff explained, “I mean, what are we playing for?”

“Oh buddy, don’t set yourself for big failure,” laughed Nialls. “You give me that type of power, you’d be screwed.”

Geoff barely held back his eye roll. “I could still win.”

“Alright, let’s play this out,” Nialls said, “You win, what would you want?”

Geoff chewed on his bottom lip. Finally, after a minute of thinking, he said, “Tell me what a chuisle really means.”

“Deal,” Nialls replied, “But if I win, you get to do something for me.”

Geoff blushed but nodded, quickly taking another gulp of Guinness. 

“So, peach fuzz, when’s the last time you got really drunk?” asked Nialls.

Geoff took a more controlled sip of Guinness. “Last time I got really drunk, ah, maybe, it was a year or so ago?”

Nialls bumped his elbow into Geoff’s. “What type of shit did you get up to?”

Geoff laughed, “You’re gonna laugh your ass off, Nialls.”

“Fully prepared to.”

Geoff looked around at the bar, checking to make sure no one else had come close. Another family had added to the mix, a family with teenagers. The waitress greeted them warmly, like they were old friends. The family settled down at a booth in the middle of the place. 

Thankfully, way out of earshot. Geoff took another deeper swig and turned to face Nialls completely. 

“Alright, so it was actually my last semester at college, so maybe a little bit longer than a year ago. And I was at a party-”

“Any cute people there?” interrupted Nialls.

Geoff smiled, “Sure there was. I only hang out with attractive people.”

“Then they must have been hanging off of you, peach fuzz,” Nialls said. He waggled his eyebrow as he took another sip. 

Geoff shook his head. “Nah. Not me. Anyway, like I was saying, I was at this party. And we were playing games and betting on who could win this or that. We played like eight rounds of flip cup before we started playing Mario Kart, already drunk from that. Well it got to the point where I was losing everything. I mean I was on seven losing teams of flip cup and lost like three rounds of Mario Kart.”

“Sounds like it wasn’t your night,” Nialls said. He wasn’t going to let on he had no idea what flip cup was. 

“Totally not my night,” Geoff laughed. “And every time you lost at Mario Kart, and I mean every race you lost, not every series, you had to take a drink of something. So I was like three more shots in adding to my flip cup total of beers. And, because I was drunk Geoff at that point, my friends all dared me to run across campus.”

“Sound exhausting,” Nialls interjected. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” Geoff said. He leaned closer to Nialls and said, “I had to do it in my underwear.”

Nialls' eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Seriously?”

Geoff nodded. “Yep. And I did it.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Honest to Nameless, I am not lying,” Geoff laughed. “If I had proof, I’d show it to you.”

“Damn. American colleges sound like the best place to see some shirtless hot guys,” Nialls mused. “So, did you enjoy your streak?”

“I had underwear on!” Geoff blushed. “It was fine, until campus PD saw me.”

“You got caught?” Nialls said, nearly spitting out the swig of beer he’d just taken. 

Geoff nodded, his face getting redder. “Yeah, I did. They let me off with a warning but insisted on walking me back to my campus apartment. And on the way back, still in my underwear, one of my TAs was coming home from something. We made eye contact and I still remember her eyes going wide when she recognized me.”

Nialls snorted as Geoff went on, “We never really made eye contact after that night.”

“Yeah, well her loss,” Nialls said. “If I was her, and I saw you in your skivvies, I’d convince the officers to let me take you home. And maybe see if they’d let me borrow the handcuffs.”

Geoff elbowed Nialls in the side, rolling his eyes. He felt like not only was his face red, his heart was going a million miles an hour. Geoff grabbed his drink and took a swig until his face cooled off. Nialls sipped at his. About half of it remaining in both of their glasses, Nialls challenged Geoff to drink the rest in a gulp. Geoff, not wanting to wuss out, agreed. Nialls, of course, finished first but Geoff did complete the challenge. 

“Peach fuzz, prepare to lose, because you’re going against a champ,” Nialls said with a sigh of contentment. 

Geoff pushed his glass across the bar and waved down the bartender. To Nialls he said back, “Yeah, yeah, so you can guzzle. But we’re testing stamina tonight.”

“A chuisle, I can go all night and even longer,” Nialls said, his voice going low, “And that goes for many things.”

“Yeah?” Geoff questioned, feeling rather bold, “Like what?”

Nialls leaned back on his stool, smiling, “Like sex a chuisle. What else would I be talking about?” His voice lowered as he added, “I’d be more than happy to give a hands-on demonstration anytime.”

The bartender came over and Geoff quickly gave the order for two pitchers of beer. She let them know their food would be out soon. Nialls and Geoff fell into silence, the implication of what the dullahan said hanging in the air. One thinking of the possibilities and the other thinking of something to say after that. When the bartender came back with two pitchers and two glasses, Geoff was quick to pour some more in his glass. 

As he poured, he asked, “Okay so I told an embarrassing story. Now it’s your turn.”

“I don’t have embarrassing stories, peach fuzz. Only wild tales of chaos,” Nialls said, taking the pitcher from Geoff. 

“There’s got to be a time when, I dunno, you lost your head or something. And I mean literally, you lost your head and had to figure out how to get it.”

Nialls pursed his lips. He glanced over at Geoff. Seeing his slight red face, the one beer already coloring him, it was hard to resist the green eyes looking at him. 

Sighing, Nialls said, “Alright. I think I have a story for you. Picture this, it’s Ireland, early 1800s. Rain has been pouring all day long and I’m on fucking horseback so I’m not having the best of hair days. I had to chase down this last person to take over to the other side and let me tell you, peach fuzz, they were not easy to catch. But because I’m incredibly good at my job, I catch him, deliver him, and then it's day over for me.”

Geoff nodded along, taking a sip of beer. He basked in the sound of Nialls’ accent slipping out as he told the story. Mentally, he made a note to save money for a trip to Ireland. Nialls continued on, oblivious to Geoff’s thoughts. 

“It’s still raining like crazy but I get to go home. Sounds like a great ending to a shitty day, right peach fuzz? Well it was until I lost my fucking balance trying to get on Chicory and I fell straight into the mud!”

Having seen Nialls covered in vampire blood and Louisiana swamp water, it wasn’t a stretch for Geoff to imagine him covered in mud.

Nialls gestured to his body, “I was covered in that shit. Fucking pissed off, I found a nearby river and decided to get clean before heading home. No way was I gonna let that mud dry. I get undressed but leave my head on the banks of the river. So I’m in the river, naked as you can be, when I hear laughter. I think it’s some mortal that’s gonna be in for a real surprise but then I feel little hands grab my head. I’m suddenly picked up and hurled to somewhere else, caught but another set of hands, and then thrown back. I’m being tossed around like a ball between two pucas!”

Geoff interrupted, “What are they?”

“Stupid, annoying little shits, is what they are,” Nialls said. He drank some before explaining, “They’re Irish fae. Can look like a number of small animals but can also turn into humans. Humans with animal features. Anyways, those suckers were human but I remember one had donkey ears and the other had the nose of a cow. And they were fast. My body got up and tried chasing them down but those puca were really fast. They would have gotten away with it too but a kindly merrow stopped them and tossed me my head back.”

“And a merrow is?”

“Think Little Mermaid but Irish.”

A smile started to spread across Geoff’s face. “Did you stop to put clothes back on or…?”

Nialls shook his head. “I had to walk all the way back to the riverside, ass naked to the world. But at least I had my head.”

Geoff laughed and patted Nialls on the shoulder. “You’d fit right in to the American colleges, Nialls.”

“Because of my good looks?” Nialls asked. 

Geoff smirked, “No. Because you’d be good at a walk of shame.”

Nialls’ mouth dropped and that made Geoff laugh even harder. Niall crossed his arms, pretending to be upset, saying, “Nothing shameful about having a good time.”

“Yeah, because that headless story sounded like a really good time.”

Nialls reluctantly admitted defeat. But, he put his elbow on the bar, pointing at Geoff, mock threatening, “After you eat peach fuzz we’re switching to hard stuff. No more of this sissy beer shit. And whoever gets drunk first and admits it, loses.”

Geoff just winked, boldened by the beginning of a buzz in his system. He could get drunk. He just wouldn’t have to admit it, he reasoned to himself. The pool table crew let out shouts of enjoyment from further down. One guy raised his pool stick over his head in victory while another tossed his down on the table. Pushing the tension away from the commotion once Geoff realized it was all in jest, he went back to trying to work through the entire pitcher of beer he had in front of him. Nialls took up people watching from behind his sunglasses. No one could tell where he was looking, but Geoff figured he was definitely judging the pool playing folk. Nialls' ideas of fun were fucking, fighting, and flustering Geoff, probably in that order too. Mortal games like pool confused him. Geoff had learned in the car ride never to bring up board games either.

After a few more exchanges of stories, the waitress came out from the kitchen door behind the bar carrying a plate of food and a basket of fries. She set the food down, said the typical pleasantries of a waitress, and headed back to her station near the register, about midway down the bar. Geoff pushed the basket of fries closer to Nialls and dug into his burger. When he was with Nialls, he forgot that he needed things like food and water, sometimes even oxygen too. So when he saw food, his instincts kicked into the overdrive, wanting the things Geoff had forgotten about badly. 

Nialls picked at the basket of fries, watching the people in the bar. He knew that the likelihood of danger was close to zero. But being on edge for the last month or so really screws with the ability to relax. The guys gathered around the pool table came over to the bar, spreading out along the empty seats. One large man sidled up to the last seat next to Geoff. He took a glance at Nialls and then Geoff beside him, who was too engrossed with the burger in front of him. The man gave a nod as a greeting. Nialls nodded once. The guy turned away and started chatting to his buddy next to him. Slowly, Nialls' guard went down. But not enough to shake the jitters. He grabbed the packet of smokes in his pocket, waving it in front of Geoff. He gave a thumbs up and continued eating. As he made his way to the door, Nialls assessed each man at the bar. All of them were large, in more ways than one. But none of them stood out as a major threat. As he pushed the door open, Nialls glanced back at Geoff one more time. He’d be fine, Nialls told himself. 

He smoked his way through two cigarettes before going back inside. Most of the pool playing crew had returned to the table, mugs of beer scattered throughout the small section. Nialls started to walk towards his seat but stopped when he saw the guy next to Geoff was talking to him. As he got closer his hands curled into fists, ready to go at a moment's notice. Geoff had one arm propped up on the back of his chair and was gesturing with the other, totally relaxed. The stranger was nodding along with what Geoff was saying. Nialls went up behind Geoff, leaned around and kissed Geoff on the side of the mouth. He glanced at the stranger who rather quickly picked up his beer and took a drink. 

“Making friends?” Nialls asked.

“This is Wes,” Geoff rolled his eyes. “Wes, this asshole is Nialls.”

“Ah, yeah,” came the hesitant reply. Another nod. Nialls just stared and dropped into his bar stool. 

“He was just asking if we were out of staters,” Geoff said. “So I was telling him about Days Landing and he actually knows someone a few towns away.”

“Small world,” Nialls muttered.

“Yeah, real small,” Wes agreed. 

Nialls pushed his sunglasses up when Geoff turned away and locked eyes with Wes. He raised an eyebrow to imply that the conversation between Wes and Geoff was over. Wes clamped a meaty hand on Geoff’s shoulder. 

“Well, have a good stay here, I better get back to my buddies,” Wes said. He lifted his beer in a salute to the both of them and walked off. Nialls slid his sunglasses back over his eyes just as Geoff turned to look at him.

“You scared him off,” Geoff stated. 

Nialls shrugged, “Or maybe he likes his friends better than you.”

“I think you had something to do with it,” Geoff said, shaking his head. He smirked, adding, “Someone was jealous.”

Nialls scoffed. He grabbed his glass of beer and drank the rest. “You’re just too friendly, peach fuzz. You have to be more careful because I won’t always be around.”

Geoff narrowed his eyes. “Because I suddenly need you to rescue me all the time?”

“Peach fuzz, you’re a walking trouble magnet.”

“Even if that were true, which it’s not,” Geoff said, “I can take care of myself. I’ve done just fine before I met you and I’ll do just fine after you leave too.” 

“Yeah, well we should add that to the bet, huh? How long it’ll take before you get yourself in trouble?” Nialls goaded.

Geoff leaned away from him. “What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Nothing, let’s drop it,” Nialls replied. 

“No, let’s talk about it,” Geoff pushed back. “Something’s bugging you.”

Nialls clenched his fists and stared determinedly at the back of the bar. He knew the guy, Wes, was harmless. If there had been danger, Nialls would have never left Geoff’s side. But it had sparked the reality that there would be scenarios that Geoff would be without him. Every night that Geoff had curled against Nialls, all Nialls could think about was how right it was to be next to him. And how no strings attached was getting harder with each passing minute. A weight pressed on Nialls' arm. Glancing to his left, he noticed Geoff had scooted closer again. It was Geoff’s hand on his arm. 

“Nialls. I know I’m kind of an idiot about a lot of things, but you have to trust me. I’ll be fine,” Geoff said. “If that’s what’s bugging you, I mean. But I won’t know if you won’t tell me.”

Nialls sighed and nodded. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. “A chuisle, I don’t care about a lot of people. But when I do care, sometimes I get carried away, so I’m sorry.”

Geoff squeezed his arm, smiling. He looked at the back of the bar and said softly, “I’m pretty lucky to have a friend like you.”

Nialls nodded as the word friend echoed around in his head. Slapping the bar top, Nialls leaned across the bar and hollered at the waitress, “Hey, ma’am, we’re gonna need something harder than beer over here!” 

He looked over at Geoff who was staring at the half pitcher of beer. “I still have beer left!”

“Drink up, peach fuzz, we’re getting hammered!” Nialls said.  
\--

Day Four 11:45 pm  
“This horse is like, so beautiful, Nialls,” Geoff said. 

“Yeah, I think you’ve said that like five time now, peach fuzz,” Nialls replied. 

He focused on leading Chicory and putting one foot in front of the other. Every now and then he would pause to shift Geoff back up on the saddle. He was more slumped over the back of Chicory than sitting, but it was the only way Nialls thought to get all three of them back to the motel. Driving her home in bike form had been way out of the option. Nialls had ended up buying the bottle of whiskey so the number of shots consumed was lost on him. If the dragging of his feet was anything to go by, Nialls assumed it was high. Geoff had to be practically carried out of the bar. The waitress had followed them out, making sure they weren’t going to drive home. With easy charm, Nialls had convinced her they were walking and once she was back inside, promptly turned Chicory into a horse. Now they were slowly making their way into the parking lot. Nialls breathed a sigh of relief. He was tired, he had a headache and wanted to just sit and stare at a wall.

“Almost there,” Nialls said. He patted Chicory on the side of the neck.

Geoff shifted on the back to look at Nialls. “Nialls, you aren’t holding my hand,”

“Peach fuzz, I’ve never held your hand,” the dullahan replied. 

“You should.”

“Sure, a chuisle,” Nialls laughed softly. He felt something brush his shoulder. Geoff was trying to grab a hold of Nialls. He lurched again but this time started to slide forward. Nialls swore and caught Geoff before he completely face planted onto the ground. 

“A chuisle, really?” Nialls groaned. He shifted his arms under Geoff’s armpits and hoisted up. “C’mon, up you go.”

Geoff looked around, his eyes half closed. He dug his heels into the pavement, refusing to be lifted back on the horse. 

He slurred out, “Parking lot? Did we leave the bar?”

“Yeah, motel is right over there,” Nialls told him. “Now let’s get back up on Chicory and…”

Geoff wrapped his arms around Nialls saying, “Carry me, Nialls!”

Nialls stumbled back with the added weight of Geoff. “Carry you? It’s like a minute walk, peach fuzz!”

Geoff squeezed tighter and buried his face in Nialls’ jacket. “Please!”

Nialls shook his head but said, “Alright, alright, you’re lucky I won this bet and am feelin’ mighty generous.”

He guided Geoff to a standing position. Nialls turned around and crouched so Geoff could stumble up to him. He hopped on, wrapping his arms a little tight around Nialls’ neck and his legs did the same around his torso. Thanking the gods his neck wrappings were still on, Nialls got to a standing position. He stumbled to the left before lurching to the right, bumping into Chicory. She snorted, impatient. Nialls took a few deep breaths to help focus. When he felt ready, he started forward, the door of their motel the target. Nialls felt Geoff’s chin dig into his back. He was trying to say something but kept laughing before anything comprehensible could come out. 

Nialls was only a few steps away from the sidewalk when all of a sudden he was like he was being sucked up into a funnel. The door disappeared and so did the concrete beneath his feet. Everything went black, but in the blink of an eye colors and shapes returned to his vision. The two were standing just on the other side of the motel door. Nialls staggered to the bed and shook Geoff off onto it before collapsing on the couch. He saw Geoff’s stomach moving up and down rapidly and realized the punk was laughing. Nialls frowned, rubbing his forehead. 

“Peach fuzz, did you just do magic?”

A couple of snorts was the reply. Geoff rolled to the side and pushed himself to his elbows. He peeked over his shoulder. When he made contact with Nialls he burst out laughing again. 

“Yeah, this is all hilarious, peach fuzz,” Nialls said. But he couldn’t even bring himself to get a bit mad. “You know you could have transported us anywhere if you fucked that up?”

“I’m so fucked up right now,” Geoff laughed. He dropped onto his back, the bed bounced a few times with the force. “Like beyond gone.”

“And that means I won the bet!” Nialls yelled. 

He pumped his fist in the air but regretted the sudden movement. It made his focus swim. He had a passing thought to check on Chicory but that would require opening the door and standing. Nialls leaned back, closing his eyes, and felt the familiar sensation of phasing through solid objects wash over him. It felt like swimming. Solid objects just became more fluid and easier to push through. Though looking upside down at the outside world, Nialls spotted Chicory hopping onto Geoff’s truck. As soon as she landed she morphed back into a motorcycle. Nialls mentally made a note to give her extra attention tomorrow. She was a smart girl. He sat back up and phased through the motel wall and the terribly uncomfortable couch. 

Geoff was still splayed out on his back, arms stretched out, legs dangling over the edge. Nialls pushed himself off the couch. He dropped to his knees and grabbed Geoff’s right tennis shoe. After a few swears, he got his fingers to cooperate and untie the laces. It took longer than normal, but Nialls managed to get both shoes off. He chucked them in the corner. Geoff was quiet now; no more gasping laughs or talking to himself. Nialls grabbed him once again under the armpits and moved him to one side of the bed. Then he got himself out of his own boots and stripped his jacket off. His face felt flush and the spins were starting to come on. He thought to grab a trash can but opted against it. Maybe Geoff could clean sick up with magic. Nialls got himself comfortable against the headboard, crossing his legs and his arms. Geoff rolled over and curled up right next to Nialls' hip. Nialls dropped his hand down and started what he had done every night, playing with the strands. 

“I love you, Nialls,” Geoff sighed. 

Nialls' eyes widened. The hand playing with his hair flinched. 

“Peach fuzz?” he breathed. He had to be dreaming already. 

Geoff nuzzled into his hip, saying, “Love you.”

“The alcohol really fucked you up, huh?” Nialls whispered. 

“No,” moaned Geoff. He lightly headbutted Nialls’ side, saying, “ ‘M serious.”

Nialls sat there feeling like all the alcohol had evaporated with those three words. Stone-cold sober now he moved his hand from Geoff’s head. He draped it over the back of the headboard, afraid that any contact with Geoff would result in more declarations of love. Instead, he sat, as tense as he was before a fight. Eventually, he heard Geoff slip off to sleep, snores filling the dark motel room. His shoulders dropped, his chest’s tightness eased, and he slumped a bit further down the bed. Nialls kept his gaze trained on the opposite wall, his mind swirling with confusion and a feeling he did not dare name.


	6. Day Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone lost a bet. Wonder what the loser has to do? Day Five will answer that for you!

Day Five 12:05 pm

Geoff flushed the toilet for what seemed like the tenth time in less than an hour. He sat back on his heels and held his head between his hands. The water rushed down the pipes taking the smell of sick away with it. Last night had been wild. He remembered snippets of Nialls conversation, remembered sharing a few embarrassing stories himself, but then there were long stretches of nothing. Somehow, they had both made it home in one piece. Geoff had woken up with his face pressed against Nialls' hip. Normally, he would have gone back to sleep but the smell of the bar still clung to Nialls' pants. And that smell caused all of last night’s choices to come whirling back. He had barely made it to the bathroom in time. He’d been in the same position since then, either hugging the toilet or back on his heels hugging himself.

“There can’t be anything left,” Geoff groaned. 

He waited another 15 minutes before standing. When that didn’t trigger anything, he slowly made his way outside, leaving his good friends the toilet and the shower behind. Geoff ran the faucet and stuck his face beneath the spray. He didn’t care if Nialls saw; his mouth needed to be desperately washed out. Swishing the water around and spitting it out again, Geoff peered at the mirror to see if Nialls was laughing at him. But he didn’t see Nialls' legs on the bed. He wasn’t on the couch either. Geoff spat then wiped his mouth as he turned around. The hotel room was empty. The sheets on the bed were tossed half off from Geoff’s mad sprint to the bathroom. Clothes laid strewn about the floor, some gathered in piles, others just lonely shirts or pants. Geoff walked over to the window, kneeling on the couch to look for Chicory. She was gone too. Though confused, Geoff went about getting ready for the day. He even picked up the room a bit. His head pounded and he really wanted water, but leaving the motel without Nialls seemed like a bad option. So he stretched out on the bed and flicked on the television. After a few minutes of channel surfing he found a decent movie to watch. He became so absorbed he didn’t hear Nialls open the door to the room. 

“Peach fuzz! You’re alive!”

Geoff’s hands ignited in flames, completely surprised. Seeing flames burning bright, Nialls nearly dropped his shopping bag. Geoff quickly waved it out of existence. 

“Shit! Sorry Nialls! I was just watching this movie and didn’t hear you, holy shit, you scared me.”

Nialls shut the door with his boot and dropped the bag on the couch. “I mean, I know you’re smokin’ hot and all but no need for the real deal.”

Geoff flicked the television off. “Where did you go?”

“Figured you might need some nourishment. And I was tired of hearing you puke so I went out to grab some stuff,” Nialls said. He dug through the bag and tossed Geoff a blue colored sports drink and what looked like a fast food breakfast sandwich. Smelling the sausage and melting cheese in the sandwich, Geoff’s empty stomach started to growl. 

Geoff took a long drink and said, “Thanks a lot. Sorry to keep you up with the puking though.”

“I was up all night,” Nialls shrugged. He got himself comfortable on the couch. “Remember, I don’t really need sleep. ‘Sides I wanted to make sure you didn’t pass out in puke or something. We went really fucking hard last night peach fuzz.”

“Yeah, think I figured that one out,” Geoff smiled. “Who won the bet? Or is it a draw?”

Nialls turned around a smirk on his face. “Oh no peach fuzz, I won.”

Geoff slowly chewed the bite of sandwich he just took. After swallowing the spicy yet cheesy bite, Geoff asked, “What do I have to do?”

Nialls stretched his arms along the back of the couch. He continued to smile without answering. He tipped his head towards the bag. “Look inside and see what you find.”

Holding his sandwich in one hand, Geoff leaned forward to grab the bag. It wasn’t heavy which didn’t give much insight as to its contents. Peering inside he saw rubbing alcohol, needles, a closed to-go cup full of ice, and a little bag containing a silver hoop. Geoff took each one out as he finished his sandwich, slowly putting together what Nialls wanted him to do. 

“Don’t you want, like, a professional to do this?”

“Do what?” Nialls asked. 

Geoff glared at him. He crumpled up his sandwich wrapper and threw it at the dullahan. It hit Nialls’ chest, falling onto his lap. “You want me to pierce something.”

“Just my ear peach fuzz,” Nialls replied. “Unless you were thinking of a different spot?”

“Ew, no,” Geoff snorted. He wished he had another thing to throw at him. “Aren’t you scared it’ll hurt?” Geoff asked.

He picked up the pack of needles. It was a variety pack of needles, some smaller and some bigger. There was one in the middle of the pack that looked like it could work for piercing. 

“You’re cute, a chuisle. I regularly get the shit beat out of me and you’re worried a needle poke will hurt,” Nialls laughed. “It wouldn’t be my first time with a piercing either,” he added.

Geoff nodded. He glanced at the piercing through the bridge of Nialls' nose and the ones hanging from each ear. “Well, let’s get this over with.”

“Why, tired of being the loser already?” Nialls asked. 

Geoff rolled his eyes and started to open up the packages. Prying the plastic lid off the cup, he tossed an ice cube to Nialls. “Hold this on the earlobe you want pierced.”

“Yes, sir,” Nialls said back. An easy grin settled across his face. “You’ve done this before?”

“No,” Geoff answered. “But I’ve seen The Parent Trap a few times.”

“Is that where they imprison adults and give them a bunch of ear piercings?”

“Not quite,” Geoff said.   
He started to tell Nialls about the plot of the movie as he prepared. As he talked, he got the cotton balls out and lined them up along the edge of the bed. He placed the bottle of rubbing alcohol on the floor, ready to grab after the piercing. Picking out the needle he wanted, he held it in one hand and produced a flame with the other. The flame licked the needle a few times before Geoff extinguished it. It always amazed him each time he produced something through magic. In the beginning, it would always end up backfiring but now, there was such a sense of control that he barely had to think about it. It just happened. Geoff concentrated on the thought of the needle floating in the air, hovering before Nialls’ left earlobe. When he opened his eyes, the sterilized needle was doing just that. Happy with that outcome, he grabbed a cotton ball and doused it with rubbing alcohol. The new earring came next. Nialls watched the needle out of the corner of his eye with amusement. 

“So, what’s the plan?”

“You remove the ice cube, I shoot this needle through, I mop up the blood, we put in the new earring, and we dump a bunch of rubbing alcohol on it.”

Nialls nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Ready?” asked Geoff. 

“Born ready.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

As soon as Nialls dropped the ice cube, Geoff let the needle fly through the spot he chose on Nialls' ear. With a hiss, Nialls winced. Blood started to leak out of the new hole. Geoff grabbed a cotton ball and gently dabbed at it which earned a few more hisses from Nialls. Gently pulling the needle out, Geoff slid the hoop earring through the new hole using an extra push with magic. Nialls tried to touch it but Geoff smacked his hand away. After another few dabs at it with the cotton ball, Geoff stepped back. The small silver hoop glinted in the afternoon sun next to Nialls’ other silver stud. Nialls got off the couch and headed over to the mirror to check out the new addition. 

“Not bad, peach fuzz,” he commented. He stopped himself from touching it again. 

Geoff started packing up the supplies. “I’m glad that’s over with.”

“Was it really so bad?” Nialls pouted.

Geoff shook his head, smiling, “No. I just didn’t want to fuck it up.”

“You? Nah. Wouldn’t happen. Which is why I chose you over some brainless professional,” explained Nialls. He stretched and turned his head side to side just to show off the piercing. “So, we got drunken business out of the way, what next?”

“I was hoping to see the Redwoods today. Have you seen those?” Geoff asked. 

Nialls thought. He’d heard of the giant trees but never had quite pried himself from the supernatural party scene in southern California to go see them. But Geoff could have said he wanted to dumpster dive and Nialls would agree to do it. 

“Nope, it’ll be a first for both of us,” Nialls said. He cocked an eyebrow, adding, “Guess we’ll be losing our redwood virginity together, huh?”

Geoff turned red and quickly looked away from Nialls. He grabbed a few things and threw them in his backpack. Sports drink, some leftover snacks, the map, the motel key, wallet, and sunscreen and he was set. “Are we riding Chicory again?”

“She’d like the exercise,” Nialls said back, opting not to embarrass Geoff any further with his poor choice of words. 

“It won’t be that far away, I think 20 or so minutes away,” Geoff said. He put on his backpack and opened the door, looking back at Nialls.

“Ready?”  
\--

Day 5 2:00pm

“Aw, c’mon Nialls,” Geoff pleaded. “It’s not like anyone’s around to see us.”

Nialls crossed his arms and attempted to glare at the slightly shorter human. He checked behind them on the trail one more time before sighing. Geoff grinned. He liked how easy it was to get Nialls to do things. They were halfway through their hike on the Cathedral Tree Trail at the Redwood National Park. On either side of the trail there were regular sized trees, little shrubs, and blankets of mosses but it was the redwoods that appeared every few feet that stole the show. The towering masses of wood intertwined and shot up climbing towards the heavens. It was easy to get lost in their grandeur. Thankfully the weather was cooperating. It wasn’t raining or too hot. The trees and their giant shadows gave plenty of cover from the elements. 

“I swear, peach fuzz, if anyone sees us doing this,” Nialls began. 

Geoff rolled his eyes, laughing as he said, “What, they revoke your dullahan status? Or would it be the biker status that goes away?”

Geoff held out his hand. Nialls muttered a curse in what Geoff assumed was Gaelic before taking it. Hand in hand, the two started walking on the path again. For the most part, the day had been quiet between them. Mostly it was due to Geoff’s pounding hangover headache, but after drinking two whole sports drinks, he had felt much better. But overall, it was a comfortable quiet between them. It was the ease that came with being with someone that just understood you. Geoff stopped them before another monster redwood. He looked straight up, craning his neck trying to take it all in but found it impossible. 

“Now this,” Geoff said, “Is true magic.”

“Trees?”

“Nature,” he corrected. “I mean, sure, I can create things out of thin air. Things like flames and mounds of earth, but something like this, I could never dream of this. And I couldn’t do it justice anyways, but that’s okay with me.”

“I bet if you tried you could,” Nialls said. 

Geoff shook his head. “Nah, it wouldn’t be the same. This is natural and what I do is...questionable?”

It was Nialls' turn to chuckle. “I think it’s a matter of perspective, a chuisle. All this magic and shit, all the ghosts and vampires, that stuff is the most natural to me. All of this stuff, like mortals and ferris wheels and cars, that’s unnatural to me. So to you your magic is crazy and nature is normal, but to me, nature is strange and spooky is a-okay.”

Geoff nodded, “Huh, I never thought of it like that.”

“It’s what I’m here for. Enlightenment.” Nialls nudged Geoff’s shoulder. 

Geoff nudged him back, saying, “I think what you’re here for is a good time.”

“Can’t it be both,” Nialls shrugged. 

“Sure, of course,” Geoff replied softer. 

He squeezed Nialls' hand before dropping it. He dug his phone out of his bag and snapped a few photos of the giant trees around them. Geoff figured that they weren’t going to hold hands anymore, but as he went to put his hand in his jean pocket, Nialls wordlessly grabbed his hand again. Biting back a tease, Geoff decided to enjoy the moment as it was. It was pure bliss to just listen to the natural world around them. Birds called to one another, hidden among the dozens of branches above them. Small forest creatures darted in the foliage carpeting the ground. Geoff never saw them, he only caught the sound and the rustle of the leaves. He was pretty sure that even Nialls, for all his talk about nature being unnatural, was at ease too. The dullahan’s shoulders were back. His stride was easy, long, and nonchalant. Nialls wasn’t scanning the ground for threats; instead he looked up at the intersecting branches of the treetop canopy. They walked along the trail, losing track of time as they did. Occasionally, Geoff would stop them to take pictures or to watch the stillness of the forest for a moment.   
The path, which had stayed pretty flat and manageable, started to slope downward. Geoff stopped leaning his head back and focused on the changing terrain. Nialls, on the other hand, was so focused on piecing together the sky through the trees, that he didn’t see the gnarled root. His boot caught right under the gap between it and the ground. Nialls fell face forward into the dirt, his other foot and unoccupied hand failing to right himself as he plummeted. When his chest hit the earth, his head popped off. The sky and ground became one as his head tumbled the rest of the way down the path. Branches and pebbles dug into his skin. He shut his eyes tight as his sunglasses snapped. Then, right as Nialls felt the world would never stop spinning, it did. Instead of slamming into a tree trunk or a rock or a number of other options, a mound of dirt had formed halfway down the hill, both cushioning his head and stopping him.   
Nialls opened his eyes as dirt and rocks sprayed into his face. Through the rubble, he saw the white and black of Geoff’s sneakers. Fingers lightly and quickly touched his cheeks and lower neck. 

“Shit!” Geoff swore, “Nialls? Nialls?”

Nialls coughed up bits of dried leaves. “Peach fuzz.”

“Okay, great, you’re not like knocked out or something,” Geoff sighed. “Can I pick you up? Is this how this works? Or will your body come and get you?”

Nialls silently groaned. His jaw felt bruised and his face in general felt like it had been thrown in a drying machine. Parts of his brain were still scrambled in a rolling haze. 

“Take me back to my body,” Nialls managed to say. 

“Right, right,” Geoff said. He slowly picked up Nialls' head and handled it like he was carrying an expensive piece of art. About 20 paces back up the hill, Nialls could see his body. It was sprawled out rather ungracefully on the hillside. His left boot was still ensnared by the root. 

“Is anyone around?” Nialls asked. A sick sensation rolled through his head. It had been awhile since his head separated violently from his body. When it was his own doing his brain could adapt to the sensation a lot quicker.

Geoff looked up the hill and scanned further down the path. “No, not that I can tell. Here, what do I do to fix this?”

Nialls' body pushed itself up from the ground. It twisted and turned as it got unstuck from the tree root and into a seated position on the slope. Nialls' hands reached out to the head. 

“Yeah, just give it over to my body,” Nialls directed. “It’ll take care of it.” 

Hands grabbed onto its head, turning Nialls so he faced Geoff, before placing him on the stump of the neck. The neck bandages needed to be tightened. This part was always the most difficult for Nialls to do. While tightening the bandages, he had to balance his head on his neck in just the right spot or his head would look lopsided. Nialls would have thought with centuries of doing this, it would have gotten easier over time. But no, it was always a pain in the ass. A hand stopped him from reaching the bandages that lay loosely around his neck. 

“Let me,” Geoff said, getting up and settling down behind Nialls. 

He placed one hand on the top of Nialls' head to keep it in place. The other hand slowly wound the black bandages around the neck. It took a few tries to get it nice and snug the way Geoff wanted it. Nialls remained as still as he could be, even when Geoff restarted the process. No one had ever helped him reattach his neck before. A blush crept across his cheeks. Geoff was so gentle with it all, it really felt like a loving embrace. When Geoff finally finished, Nialls thought that would be the end of it. He went to stand up but Geoff pushed him back onto the ground. The younger man stepped back in front of Nialls. The dullahan looked up, puzzled. Geoff leaned down and placed both of his hands on either side of Nialls' face. There was a slight glow before a cooling, relieving sensation spread from his cheeks to across his nose, to his forehead, and even down throughout his chest. All of the minor pains and aches disappeared. The bruises vanished and the scratches healed. Even the grogginess was gone. 

Nialls barely shook his head. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Geoff smiled back, “I wanted to.” 

He extended a hand down which Nialls took. Once standing, Nialls reached out to Geoff and pulled him close. He kissed him on the top of the head. 

“Thanks for that, peach fuzz,” Nialls said. 

“Really, anytime,” Geoff replied, stepping back. 

Nialls' hand slipped into Geoff’s as they started their trek down the incline. This time, Nialls had his eye glued to the forest floor. Except for the few times he glanced over at Geoff. Just in these momentary glances, Nialls saw pure happiness. Geoff’s cheeks were flushed with excitement and his eyes lit up everytime he spotted a more magnificent tree to see. Every now and then Geoff would squeeze his hand as punctuation to the end of his sentence. And every time he did squeeze his hand, a feeling of joy sparked within Nialls. The dullahan was so focused on not tripping while sneaking looks at Geoff that he didn’t realize Geoff had asked him a question. 

“Sorry, what was that peach fuzz?”  
Geoff rolled his eyes and squeezed Nialls' hand. “I’m really glad you pay attention to what I say. I asked what did you think about staying in tonight?”

“What do you mean?”

Geoff shrugged, “Get some pizza, buy some beer, watch really crappy television,” he looked knowingly at Nialls adding, “I know it’s your favorite pastime.”

“That, flirting, smoking, and fucking,” Nialls said.   
Geoff burst out laughing. “So is that plan a yes?”

Nialls smirked. He took his hand out of Geoff’s to loop his arm around his shoulders. 

“It’s a date.” 

Day Five 11:56 pm

The credits started to roll across the black screen. All of the lights were turned off; the television was the only source of light. Two pizza boxes sat at the end of the bed. The smell of the remains of greasy cheese and pepperoni had faded into the background of the motel room like the poorly painted artwork on the walls. Bottle caps and empty bottles of cheap beer lined the floor next to the bed making getting up a hazard. Neither of them felt the need to leave the bed anyway. They sat, propped up against the headboard of the bed, shoulder to shoulder, hands intertwined. The credits ended and the title card of the next movie appeared on the screen. 

Nudging Geoff, Nialls said, “Guess they made a sequel to that shit show.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Geoff groaned. He dropped his head onto Nialls' shoulders. “That movie was not worth a sequel.”

“But the actors in it are hot.”

“Sure, but the plot was terrible.”

Nialls reached for the remote on the table but Geoff dug his forehead into Nialls' shoulder. 

“Don’t you want it off?” Nialls asked.

“Leave it on,” Geoff replied. 

Nialls brought his free hand back and settled against the headboard. After they had gotten back from the Redwoods, the two took Chicory on a long drive with no destination in mind. It had been just the two of them, the California coast, and the wind screaming against them. With Geoff’s arms around his waist and his body pressed close against his, Nialls had a hard time focusing at first. It was a sexual thing but it was also more an unusual presence. Nialls was used to long solo rides, stuck alone with his thoughts. Not that the two could talk on the bike, but just knowing that another person was there alongside him, made him feel whole. When they had gotten back into town, the two switched over to Geoff’s truck and got the pizza and beer. Two movies later, pizza and beer mostly consumed, here they were.   
Nialls glanced down at Geoff. He was nodding off, his half drunk beer dangerously close to spilling over. 

Popping his shoulder up, jostling Geoff, Nialls asked, “You sure you’re gonna make it through this exciting sequel, peach fuzz?”

Geoff straightened up. He nodded but placed the beer bottle on the floor next to him. The movie started, and like watching a public breakup, Nialls couldn’t tear his eyes away from the B-rate movie. The movie had barely gotten started when Geoff’s head fell onto Nialls' shoulder again. Before he could nudge him awake, Geoff popped back up. This happened several more times, the time between each lessening. 

“Peach fuzz,” Nialls chuckled, “I’m not gonna be pissed that you don’t watch this movie with me.”

“I know.”

“Well, go to sleep, dumbass.”

Geoff dug his elbow into Nialls' side. “I’m trying to stay awake.”

“Why?”

Geoff didn’t answer right away. Nialls hit mute on the remote and turned to fully look at Geoff. “What’s up, a chuisle?” 

Geoff smiled and shook his head. “Nah, it’s nothing. Just trying to spend as much time as I can with you. Since tomorrow’s…”

Nialls bit on his lower lip, nodding. The week had flown by, now meeting his boss man was looming like an impending storm. Taking Geoff’s hand, adding an extra squeeze of reassurance, Nails said, “Go to sleep, a chuisle. I’ll be right here.”

Geoff leaned over and kissed Nialls on the cheek. “Okay, if you say so.” He adjusted himself so he was under the covers and his head on the pillow instead of against the wall. Still pressed up against Nialls, Geoff turned over to face away from him. He stared at the window, the moonlight sliding in through the slats of the blinds. Wetness gathered in the corners of Geoff’s eyes. He was glad Nialls couldn’t see as the tears sprang free. A voice scolded Geoff, reminding him of no strings attached. As he shut his eyes, Geoff finally submitted to the fact that he, Geoff McCullum, was not just attached, but entangled with Nialls.


	7. Day Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the week winds down, will something finally happen between Geoff and Nialls? With the last night on the horizon, they'll have to make a choice.
> 
> [Contains sexual content]

**Day Six: 8:36pm**

In a blink of an eye, their last day together was coming to a close. Tomorrow was day seven or as Geoff was slowly realizing, the worst day of his life. He went back to brushing his teeth and reflected on the day. Geoff had slept past 11, only waking when his stomach couldn’t take it anymore. It was followed by a breakfast at the same diner they had eaten at a day earlier and another long day under the sun. Neither Nialls or Geoff addressed the end of the week-long vacation tomorrow. Instead, they went swimming in the ocean. They climbed low rocks and scraped the shit out of their feet but laughed anyway. Geoff talked more about home, about his siblings, and other mundane things but Nialls had soaked up every minute of it. They spent countless times just leaning against one another, touching one another, kissing each other, all at the same time avoiding the feelings and thoughts bursting inside each of their heads. Instead, they continued to pretend that the day was like any other. After spending hours at the beach, they found a cheap place to eat, Nialls opting for a few beers, and just sat in each other’s presence. 

The sun had gone down outside, leaving the motel room rather dark besides the bathroom light. He was going to lose his nerve just like he was going to lose him. Geoff glanced back at Nialls sitting against the headboard. His jacket was off and thrown on the couch. He was just wearing a white t-shirt and his typical skin-tight black jeans. Nialls' attention was on the television. Sometimes he liked to watch mortal news just to see the chaos unfold. Wiping his mouth off, Geoff dropped his hands down to either side of the sink. The worst thing that could happen would be Nialls saying no. And the embarrassment after would probably kill Geoff, but it still could be worse. It could be the last time he ever sees Nialls again. 

“If that’s what it is, then I better make it count,” Geoff whispered to himself. 

He held his stare in the mirror for a few more seconds before turning around and stepping back into the main room. Nialls smiled and opened his mouth to say something but it immediately closed when Geoff took his shirt off. Geoff was looking straight at him, green eyes unwavering. Nialls muted the television before Geoff took the remote and placed it on the bedside table. He climbed on top of Nialls' lap, straddling him much like they were in the cabin of his truck only days earlier. Geoff ran his hands through Nialls’ hair, enjoying the feeling of the white hair glide through his fingers.

“ _A chuisle?_ ” Nialls breathed. 

His eyes were closed. He leaned in every time Geoff’s fingers would brush his scalp, mentally wanting more contact. Geoff tilted Nialls' head up before gently kissing him. The kiss stayed sweet as Nialls ran his hands up and down Geoff’s bare back. There were still elements of Geoff’s muscles from farming and Nialls wanted to map every part of it. Geoff broke away for air but quickly went back, biting Nialls' bottom lip. Nialls grinned into the next kiss. He broke away, moving to Geoff’s shoulder, and added some teeth and pressure to his kiss. Geoff let out a breathy groan as Nialls moved down his chest, over his left nipple, then over Geoff’s heart, each spot leaving a bite. Working his way back up, Nialls left more marks up the right side, lingering on the right side of Geoff’s neck. He wanted to leave a mark that people could see even after Nialls left tomorrow.

He was leaving tomorrow. That thought stopped Nialls cold. Geoff grabbed the edge of Nialls' t-shirt and started to pull it up. Nialls obeyed, his thoughts still whirring in his head. The back and forth battle of should he tell Geoff his feelings or should he keep pretending it was no strings attached waged on. As Geoff wrestled Nialls' shirt off, Nialls spotted the marks he left on the mortal’s body. It made a fire well up in his core. Before he could say anything else, Geoff’s hands were on Nialls' neck. That same warm and stretchy feeling happened as his torso connected with his head. If that wasn’t enough, Geoff chose that moment to grind down on Nialls’ lap which was already becoming a hard situation. Nialls dodged Geoff’s kiss. Instead of on the lips, Geoff got a section of ear. That didn’t stop him from nipping it before pulling back.

“Whoa, _a chuisle_ ,” Nialls said softly.

“Yeah?” Geoff said. He sat back on his knees, removing the pressure from Nialls’ lap.

“What are we doing here?” Nialls asked. He stroked Geoff’s arms with a ghost of a touch. Already he missed the pressure of Geoff on his lap.

Geoff looked Nialls square in the eye. The determination that was there was like all the times they had gone to fight evil together: pure and raw.

“Nialls. We have one night left. Then you leave,” Geoff said.

Nialls gave a nod. “Yeah.”

“I want to make the most of it,” Geoff said, his voice getting lower. “If you want to, I mean.”

Nialls' mouth went dry. He heard himself say “No strings attached?”

Geoff bit his already bruised lip and looked down for a second before nodding. Nialls leaned in close to Geoff, wrapping his arms around Geoff’s torso and brought him close.

“You sure about this peach fuzz?” Nialls asked. He was on the brink of losing control.

Geoff dropped his hand right on Nialls' erection, wishing there weren't jeans in between them as he said, “Nialls. I want you to fuck me already.”

Nialls surged up to meet Geoff’s mouth and gave him the dirtiest kiss he could possibly muster, all while bringing Geoff tighter against his bare chest. Between kisses Nialls breathed, “ _A chuisle_ ” and hearing Geoff whisper Nialls’ name was doing so much to Nialls. He had to do something. Using most of his inhuman strength, Nialls maneuvered Geoff off to the side and pushed him onto his back. He grabbed Geoff’s hands and brought them above Geoff’s head, pinning them on either side. Hovering over him, smirking down at Geoff, Nialls said, “You’re pretty demanding you know that, peach fuzz?”

“Yeah, well are you going to show me a good time or?” Geoff challenged, a smile crossing his face. He looked beautifully flushed, from his head to across his shoulders down his torso to even beneath his waistband, which were annoyingly still on. Nialls could see the tell-tale sign of an erection beneath Geoff’s jeans.

Geoff struggled against Nialls' hands, yearning for more contact. The burning in Nialls’ core intensified. While still attempting to hold Geoff down, Nialls kissed him at the base of his throat and again, started moving lower, but this time didn’t leave any marks. He let go of Geoff’s hands but looked up adding, “Keep them there.”

“But-“

“Trust me, _a chuisle_ ,” Nialls whispered. Geoff fought the urge to drag Nialls back up to his own mouth and focused on keeping his hands where they were. They only wanted contact, to touch Nialls, every part of Nialls. Nialls continued his trek lower until his mouth hovered over the zipper on Geoff’s jeans. He smiled back at Geoff.

“Are you ready for a really long ride, peach fuzz?”


	8. Day Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last day. It's time for major decisions before it's too late.

Day Seven 6:35 am

The sun peeked through the blinds, highlighting the two figures tangled in bedsheets on the small motel bed. Only one was awake. Ignoring the no smoking sign, Nialls brought the lit cigarette up to his mouth. It was the second to last one in his pack. Chainsmoking for an hour depletes your reservoirs of addiction. But even the nicotine and other harsh-to-humans chemicals couldn’t lessen his nerves. Furthermore, wrapped around his torso clung Geoff, who was still sleeping. Even fast asleep, Geoff still had Nialls' mind reeling. Everything they had done the night before played out in Nialls' head. Nothing could have prepared him for actually sleeping with Geoff. It had always been off limits to him, something he entertained once or twice when he was by himself, but nothing he thought would ever happen. And then, the damn kid just put it out there. 

“Nialls. I want you to fuck me already.” 

Just hearing the echo of it, made Nialls feel fire south of his waistband. Looking over at the numbers on the clock next to him, drained him of any urges. It was well into the morning of his final day. Even though his boss wasn’t physically here, he could feel something was different. A vision popped into his head. A sleek black truck rumbling down the highway with a dark figure, sunglasses on their face, a gloved hand hanging out the window. Boss man was on his way. By the looks of it, he was getting closer. Nialls took one last drag on the cigarette and put it out by squashing the end on the surface of the bedside table. 

He looked down at Geoff for the millionth time. One of his arms was stretched out across Nialls' torso, the other one tucked against his side. His head was partially on Nialls' chest, partially on the mattress. How it was comfortable that way, Nialls could only guess. What Nialls couldn’t stop staring at was the serene expression on Geoff’s face. There was no tension. Just peace. 

“Fuck me,” Nialls thought. He was in deep. 

It didn’t matter how much he cared or how much he wanted to have Geoff spend all the time in the world with him, his boss was coming. It was back to Ireland. Back to his job, back to responsibility, and a life as a dullahan. Alone. 

The vision came again, causing Nialls to wince. Instead of seeing a bird’s eye view, Nialls saw what his boss was seeing. The sun was coming up over the horizon. An empty small town street, shops and restaurants stood on either side closed. But behind the left hand buildings, the ocean waves swelled. A beat-up motel sign came up on the right. Nialls felt the truck slow and heard the click of a blinker. Then he was back in his body. 

“Fuck,” Nialls whispered. 

Geoff sighed in his sleep. Nialls tried to shift his body out from under him but stopped. He didn’t want to wake him. It would be easier to just leave him without saying goodbye. That way the lid Nialls had on his feelings would remain screwed on tight. Geoff might be hurt once he woke up, but the charade Nialls was playing of no strings attached would remain intact. Hating himself, Nialls phased through the bed. When he felt the floor, still incorporeal, he rolled out from underneath the bed and got to his feet. Once standing, he reverted back to solid form. He dressed as fast as he could, constantly checking back to see if Geoff noticed. He was out cold. His bags were already outside, thanks to his foresight yesterday. Nialls pocketed the remaining two cigarettes, grabbed his sunglasses from the nightstand, and headed for the door. His leather jacket lay across the couch. Nialls reached for it then pulled back. Geoff could keep it. Hell, he could burn it in rage if he wanted to later. Nialls wouldn’t blame him. He stole one last look at Geoff. He was still sprawled out in the same position. One leg stuck out from under the sheets, his back exposed down to his waist. 

Nialls felt tears well up as he choked out, “Bye a chuisle.”

Opening the door Nialls quickly stepped out into the early morning. He shut the door behind him without a sound. He shoved his sunglasses on before checking out his surroundings. A few rooms down stood a busted up minivan that was there the night before. The motel office was closed, dark, and shuttered. Geoff’s truck was directly in front of him, but when Nialls stepped aside, he saw the car he was actually looking for. Black, vintage, and shiny stood his boss’s truck. Walking across the small parking lot was a lone figure. This man stood taller than Nialls, which not many people could claim, and was similarly dressed in all black. But where Nialls took to leather, this man chose fine suits. The suit was perfectly tailored and his shoes perfectly shined. His dark hair was cut close to his head and the beard was perfectly sculpted and looked as if it were painted on the dark skin beneath. The man earned his name as the Black Crom. Or as Nialls knew him: Boss. 

Time seemed to warp and still around the two figures as Black Crom closed the distance between them. Black Crom was a god that valued privacy. To avoid any accidental sightings, he created a void around himself that no mortal could see into or even notice. Only the creatures that Black Crom wished to see, would. 

Black Crom took off his sunglasses and icy blue eyes stared at Nialls. 

“I thought it would be a lot harder to find you, Nialls.” he said. His voice was like a roll of thunder or the shutting of a coffin lid. 

“Nope. Not this time. Surprised ya, huh?” he replied but without the usual lightheartedness. “Am I to load her up on the back of your truck and we hoof it or?”

Black Crom raised an eyebrow but shook his head. “We have urgent business to get to back home. You have missed quite a lot since you left us.”

He raised his hand and snapped twice. Chicory was gone in a flash as was the truck across the street. 

“Nialls!” an echo called out. Nialls jumped and looked behind him. It sounded just like Geoff. But the motel door remained shut and besides, Black Crom controlled who could see him. Nialls shook his head, hoping that the hallucination would go away.

“Come, let us go.” Black Crom said. He raised his hand to do so again but stopped as he was about to release his snap. “What is--”  
Black Crom was interrupted by a person appearing between him and Nialls. Black Crom took a step back and a mean-looking scythe appeared in his hand. The person ignored that and whirled around to face Nialls. It was Geoff. 

“Nialls, you son of a bitch!” he yelled. 

“Peach fuzz?” Nialls blurted out. 

Geoff started walking towards him, fists clenched at his sides, Nialls' leather jacket held in one hand. “You were going to leave without saying anything? Are you serious?”

Nialls took a step back, stuttering, “I thought-”

Geoff jabbed his finger at Nialls, yelling “I thought we were friends, jackass!”

“Of course we are, peach fuzz,” Nialls said, stumbling back another step. 

Just as Geoff was about to reply, the scythe’s blade hooked him around the waist and threw him against the door of his truck. The door crumpled with the impact, glass shattering. Black Crom was in front of Geoff in an instant, his hand tight around Geoff’s throat. He lifted him off the ground but still pressed him against the truck. 

“Who is this?” Black Crom spat. 

Nialls rushed forward but Black Crom pointed the scythe right at him, the blade pressing right against his chest. 

“Let him go,” Nialls said. He could already see the blood soaking Geoff’s t-shirt. Seeing Geoff’s hands scratch at Black Crom twisted Nialls' heart.

“Is he human?” Black Crom asked. He peered up at Geoff, blue eyes searching for answers. 

Nialls replied, “Yes, he’s human, but he’s got magic.”

“Magic typically doesn’t find me,” Black Crom frowned. He loosened his grasp slightly and Geoff took a strangled breath in. Black Crom asked, “How did you find me?”

“Trying to find that jerk,” Geoff said, gasping for breath after each word. 

“Not me?”

Geoff shook his head as best as he could. “No idea who you are.”

Black Crom cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. He turned to look at Nialls. “Can I get rid of him or are you attached?”

Nialls almost fell to his knees. “Please, Boss. Just let me talk with him. Just for like, fifteen minutes and I swear we can go back home. Please.”

His boss tightened his grip once again and pushed even harder against the truck, the metal frame bending and creaking. Then, he let go. The scythe disappeared in black smoke. Geoff collapsed to the ground, his hands going for his throat as he gasped for breath. 

“I’ll give you some privacy,” Black Crom said. He turned and headed to where his truck once stood. 

Nialls went to Geoff and dropped to one knee next to him. “Are you insane, peach fuzz?”

Geoff coughed a few times. He rubbed at his neck and felt behind his head. When he pulled his hand back there was some blood on his fingers. 

“Shit, I mean look at you,” Nialls swore. He reached out to touch Geoff, but he jerked away. 

“Fuck you, Nialls,” Geoff said. He looked the dullahan dead in the eye. “You snuck out.”

“I just thought--”

“That I was just some one night fucking stand?” Geoff spat. “That our friendship meant nothing after we fucked?”

“No,” Nialls said quietly. 

“Then what?”

“I didn’t want this to hurt more then it had to,” Nialls said. He pinched the bridge of his nose before he covered his eyes. “Look, this was supposed to be just one thing and it became something else.”

“What is it?” Geoff asked. When Nialls didn’t answer Geoff grabbed Nialls' hand and squeezed, repeating, “What, Nialls? What happened?”

Nialls couldn’t keep the waver out of his voice as he said, “Fuck. I have to say it?”

“Say it.”

Nialls ducked his head but squeezed Geoff’s hand as he said, “I love you, a chuisle.”

Geoff didn’t say anything. There wasn’t a squeeze or a flinch or any movement from him. Nialls took a chance and started talking, “This is why I was going to leave, peach fuzz. I was trying to avoid hurting me, hurting you, just, fuck, all of this.”

Nialls looked away as he felt the tears streaming down his face. Then, the sound of hiccups dragged his attention back. He realized that it wasn’t hiccups, but laughter. Geoff had one hand holding his bleeding chest, the other in Nialls’ hand, but his shoulders were shaking up and down. When Geoff looked up, there were tears falling too but it clashed with the smirk on his face. 

“Nialls,” he managed to say between laughs, “I love you too.”

“Excuse me?”

“I think I love you too.”

“The last time you said that you were wasted.”

“Shit, really?” Geoff said, sobering up from laughter.

“Yeah, really,” Nialls snorted. “But this, this is one hundred percent you saying this?”

Geoff nodded. He wiped his tears, “Why else would I try and teleport to you using your smelly jacket?”

“Because you wanted to punch me?”

“Yeah,” Geoff shrugged, “And because I love you too.”

Nialls dropped his other knee to the pavement. He leaned forward to touch his forehead to Geoff’s. They sat there, eyes closed, just breathing the same air, foreheads touching. Geoff broke the contact first, resting his head against his truck door. There was a faint glow on his chest. He sat up a little straighter after and Nialls knew he had healed himself. Geoff squeezed Nialls' hand. 

“What do we do?” he asked. 

Nialls looked over at Black Crom. He was staring off at the ocean, his arms folded behind his back. 

He said, “Peach fuzz, I have to go back to Ireland. There’s no escaping this one. Not this time.”

“I know that. But what does this mean for us?” Geoff asked. When Nialls didn’t reply, Geoff went on, “I’m willing to make this work. I can figure out how to send messages to you. Wait, I mean hell, they have phones in Ireland, I can just call you. We can do stupid things like write letters to each other. I can save up money and visit you, we can make this work.”

Nialls let each of those thoughts play out in his mind. Hearing Geoff’s voice over the phone every week wouldn’t be bad. He could scribble a few letters. And give it a year or too and it didn’t seem outlandish now that Geoff said it out loud. Besides, this incredible feeling of happiness that Geoff gave him, he could get used to that. 

Nialls nodded. “Boss man might give me a few days off here and there.”

“Does that mean yes or does that mean I’m your long distance booty call?”

Nialls tried not to smile. “Can it be both?”

Geoff rolled his eyes, saying, “You’re lucky you’re hot.”

Nialls leaned forward and kissed Geoff. It was sweet, yet slow. There was nothing to rush, just everything to savor. Nialls broke from it and brought his hand up to Geoff’s face. 

“So what’re you gonna do without me, huh, peach fuzz?” Nialls asked. “Stay outta trouble, I hope?”

Geoff looked down and away, shrugging. “Yeah, about that.”

“You’re joining that lame organization, aren’t you?” Nialls said. 

“It seems like the best place for me to be. Just like the best place for you is Ireland,” Geoff said.

“The best place for me is wherever you are, a chuisle. But I guess we’ll have to rain check that. And just get away with what we can,” Nialls replied. 

“I’d like that,” Geoff whispered. He glanced over at Black Crom who had turned his back on the ocean and was heading their way. Nialls noticed, sighing, and got to his feet. He reached down and got Geoff to his. As Black Crom drew near, a definite cold settled around them. Geoff shivered and leaned closer to Nialls. Black Crom glanced at Nialls' hand intertwined with Geoff’s.

He scoffed, “Humans again, Nialls?”

Nialls, for once, didn't brush it off with a joke. He simply nodded and met Black Crom’s gaze. Something unspoken passed between the god and the dullahan as they gazed at one another. Perhaps it was an understanding. An understanding that there are some things, things like love, that even gods can not make go away. 

“Are you ready to depart then?” Black Crom asked. “I’ve been more than gracious.” 

Nialls made like he was going to step over to Black Crom, but pulled back. He turned, grabbed Geoff around the waist, and pulled him close for another kiss. Geoff wrapped his arms around Nialls' neck and deepened the kiss, not caring about who saw. When the two broke apart, both smiled. Nialls knocked his forehead against Geoff’s again. 

“Glad I magically trip wired the door last night,” he whispered. 

“When did you do that?”

“Right when you were busy orgasming,” Geoff grinned.

Nialls' eyes widened, a mix of shock and amusement. He kissed Geoff again, but bit his bottom lip before he let go. “I’ll remember that next time, peach fuzz.”

“Counting on it,” Geoff said back. 

Nialls finally stepped back from his boyfriend. It took all of his willpower to let go of Geoff’s hand. He turned back to Black Crom, who stood, neither impressed or moved by the recent show of affection. He took his spot on the right-hand side of his boss. Even after Nialls put his sunglasses back on, Geoff knew his eyes were still on him. Geoff raised a hand in goodbye. Nialls smirked and blew a kiss. Black Crom raised his own hand and snapped. As soon as Geoff heard the snap, everything went back to normal. It was like the fog clearing in the early morning sun. The weird haze that covered the parking lot vanished. The chill in the air was replaced by the slowly warming temperature of the morning. No one was there, just a leather jacket lying in the middle of a parking space. Geoff went over and shrugged it on. It was a tad big on him, just in the arms which he rolled up a bit. It was all he had of his brand new boyfriend. 

Geoff didn’t cry when he used magic to fix his truck or clean the rest of his wounds. There were no tears when he drove to the beach by himself. Not a single one fell as he walked the sand. It was when he sat down, catching the scent of the jacket on the ocean breeze, that the tears fell. Geoff dug his feet into the sand and hugged himself tight. The spray of sand and salt mixed with his tears. This feeling of loneliness was new. It was deeper then before now that he had experienced what it was like to be whole. He had gotten what he never thought would happen during this week, he and Nialls were together. But now they were apart. It was a strange way to be, both elated and sad at the same time. He didn’t bother stopping the tears, letting them run out on their own. When he finally raised his gaze from the ground, he looked out at the ocean and watched the waves crash onto the shore. Wiping at his eyes, Geoff calmed down to the sound of the ocean. 

After a while, he pulled out his cellphone. It was nearing dead but there was enough juice for one more call. Hopefully, a short one. He punched in the number he’d looked at to the point of memorization. It rang a few times. Geoff was about to hang up when someone picked up. 

“Reaper? This is Geoff. When do I start?”


End file.
